The Best Mistake Of All
by MrsK81
Summary: Living the perfect life with no cares or responsibilities suited Bella just fine, but her family had other ideas and all of a sudden everything was changing... and not necessarily in a good way. One last night out, one quick escape through a bathroom window, one assumption about her new boss plus so many other things proved to be one mistake after another or so it seemed.
1. Chapter 1

**Trying something a little bit different... for me anyway :)**

**Chapter 1**

The click, click, click of stilettos on the pristine shiny floors did not help my lingering headache but it did give me hope that finally _Their_ _Lordships_ were ready for me.

"Miss. Dwyer?"

I cringed. Her high-pitched, nasal voice was just as irritating as it had been over the phone. Or perhaps my very mild hangover was making me just a little grouchy? "Actually, it's _Swan_," I corrected her as politely as I could.

"I'm so sorry," she said quickly, as if she feared for her job.

I smiled sweetly, trying to reassure her. "It happens a lot, don't worry about it."

"I'll make sure your details are correct in your personnel file," she continued to say and I simply nodded. "We'll head straight up to the conference room, the senior partners are waiting to introduce you to-"

"I know," I interrupted. "Phil's already told me."

"Phil?" she cocked her head and I sighed.

"Mr. Dwyer."

"Oh yeah, sorry."

I watched her as she walked ahead of me in her off the rack, badly-fitting jacket and skirt which was just too short to be considered professional. She was struggling to walk in a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps which I knew to be fake—I knew this because I owned a pair myself, only mine were the real deal. She was obviously trying to impress someone, because as we neared the conference room she opened, closed, and then opened the top button on her blouse, and her walk—or should I say her ass gained a noticeable swagger. I tried not to judge this bottle-blonde, Botox-enhanced airhead who was probably only working here while she searched for her ticket to a lifetime supply of real Louboutin shoes…

_Oops, too late._

I, of all people should know better than to judge a book by its cover. I'd faced that sort of judgement for the past fifteen years. Right now, for example, I would guess about three hundred people in this building assumed I was only here because of my connections—in my case however, they were right to assume that. I knew I had the sideward glances and snide comments to come, but right now that was the least of my concerns.

We stopped outside a pair of frosted glass doors. "If you would take a seat," she pointed to a black-leather couch in the corner of the lobby area, "I'll just check they're ready for you."

I didn't point out that she had already been sent downstairs to retrieve me in the first place and did as she asked and sat down with a frustrated sigh. She knocked twice on the door and went inside.

I mean, in reality, none of this was even necessary. I knew three of the four people present in the room, I'd spent most of my life being forced to socialise with them. Denali, Dwyer, and Hale (D.D.H) was a successful publishing house in Seattle and had been for almost twenty years. Phillip Dwyer, along with Irina Denali and Peter Hale had started the company and built it from a small business printing school yearbooks and newsletters to a respected brand with some of the bestselling authors on its books. And how do I fit into all of this? Well, we have the aforementioned Phillip Dwyer, my mother Renee, my father and moral guidance counsellor, Charlie Swan to thank for that.

Up until three weeks ago, I was living a life that most girls dream about. I lived rent-free in a fabulous apartment with my two best friends, Carmen and Amber. I drove a Mercedes, vacationed several times a year all over the world, and got to shop whenever and wherever the hell I liked. I had no bills to worry about, no job to get up to each morning and not a care in the world.

I hadn't always lived this way, far from it actually, and I think that was part of the reason why I made the most of it now. I was born about three hours form Seattle in a small, podunk town called Forks. My dad was a cop, my mom worked nights in the local bar, and money was tight.

Unfortunately, life in Forks was not something my mother could stand and my parents divorced when I was eight. She met Phillip Dwyer a year or so later and so began a life where money was really no object.

Phil was in no way a bad step-father, quite the opposite really. He and my mother were unable to have any more children and they literally gave me everything a young girl could ever ask for, and that trend continued until recently.

I maintained a close relationship with my father and it was after a visit back to forks where I rolled up in my brand spanking new car that he'd really gone to town about my lifestyle. He gave me the lecture about earning a living, respecting money, and understanding that life was all about taking responsibilities. I laughed him off and thought little of it, but he wasn't so quick to let the issue go.

Several weeks after my trip home, I met my mother and step-father for our standing lunch reservation at the Four Seasons. This time, however, there was a fourth guest in the shape of Charlie Swan. Whatever concerns he'd raised about me making a life for myself had rubbed off on my mother and Phil, because it was at this lunch date that they told me all about their plan.

Gone were my credit cards that Phil paid for, gone was my Mercedes and rent-free apartment. If I wanted to carry on driving the car and living with Amber and Carmen I would have to pay my own way without any sort of allowance from either of my parents. The only way to do that was to get a job, and that's where my step-father came in.

Apparently Phil understood it was going to be a difficult transition and set me up with a position within his company. My father, who I was highly pissed at, agreed that I at least should get a month's wage in advance before I was thrown to the wolves and left to fend for myself.

Living with the girls, even if I paid for it myself was not going to be easy, we lived in a penthouse apartment in Belltown, which cost our parents a fair few dollars. My mother told me that I had six months left on the lease which had been paid in advance and then it was up to me. I did, however, have to cover my share of the utilities and any grocery shopping I needed.

When the lease was up, I would either have to pay it myself or find somewhere else to live… I was hoping and praying that in six months my parents would be over this independent phase and things could just go back to the way they were.

My friends found the whole situation hilarious and told me to play nicely and I'd be back to vacationing in Monaco before I knew it. I wasn't holding my breath!

So, with my just my one month allowance and nothing else sitting in my newly-opened bank account, my time to earn a living began. I assumed that as I'd never worked a day in my life and was the co-founders step-daughter I would be given a somewhat easier role within the company… that had been my first mistake.

Only yesterday morning, I'd discovered that I was to be an assistant to the newest addition to the company. Although he was happy to get me a job, Phil assumed I would take advantage of the situation if I worked directly for him—he might have been right, but I certainly wasn't going to admit that to him.

So, instead, I was being shipped off to the fifteenth floor to work for the recently recruited, Mr. Cullen.

All I knew about the man was he had been head-hunted from a publishing house in Chicago. Apparently, Mr. Cullen had impressed a lot of people, secured some large contracts with his previous employers and rather than risk going up against him, D. D. H decided to recruit him. Peter Hale had announced his imminent retirement, and I knew Phil wanted to take a step back and enjoy some time away from work. Knowing there was going to be some serious reshuffling, a lot of people had worked hard to be noticed, in the hope they'd be considered for the more senior roles. I also knew that Peter Hale's soon to be son in law, Royce King had been firm favourite to step into his shoes, so the arrival of Mr. Cullen as Publishing Director for the fiction department, had caused quite a turn of heads.

Add all that to the fact Mr. Cullen had the boss' daughter as his personal assistant, didn't you just know we'd be the most hated team in the building.

I'd never met him, and I wholeheartedly believed that Mr. Cullen was going to be just like Phil and Peter. Old, overweight, and just as Peter did when he thought Phil wasn't looking, leering down my blouse at every opportunity… incidentally that assumption had been the second mistake to add to what would become a fast-growing list.

Airhead emerged from the boardroom. "You can go in now," she said, a red tinge to her cheeks.

"Thank you." I smiled and walked confidently into the room.

As I expected, there were four people sitting at the huge, mahogany table—Phil, Irina, and Peter, but as my eyes landed on the man sitting to the right of my step-father, I admitted that letting my friends take me out for one final time had been my third mistake.

And as I thought back to the previous night, I had vivid and stomach-clenching flashbacks of my fourth, fifth, and sixth mistakes.

**EPOV**

_Oh fuck…_

**A/N**

**Obviously I don't own Twilight… nor do I own the ability to summarise or create a title so both of those are subject to change! **

**Great big sloppy kisses to Kitty & MzPeaches for taking on another of my stories.**

**Hope you liked it – would love to know what you thought! I will post the next chapter soon and from then on this will post each Sunday as long as my mojo allows!**

**See you shortly!**


	2. Chapter 2

**You guys are just amazeballs! So what was with the "Oh fuck?" Let's see…**

**Chapter 2**

_24 hours earlier…_

"Just think of it as a night out to celebrate your new job," Amber suggested. "We can call it a Bon Voyage Bella Party, how about that?"

"I think I can't afford a Bon Voyage Bella Party," I grumbled. "I shouldn't even be having a manicure because it's coming out _my_ allowance; the allowance that has to last me until I get my first pay check."

"I still can't believe your parents are doing this to you," Carmen said in disbelief. "It's so unfair."

"Whatever it is, it's happening and I just need to get my head down and hope whatever weird phase they're all in passes quickly."

"French manicure, Miss. Swan?" the technician asked me and I nodded.

"And better go easy on the nail art," I told her glumly. "This is more than I can afford."

"That is exactly why you _have_ to come out with us tonight," Amber pleaded. "You need to go out with a bang! We can pay for your drinks, Bella, just please come out."

"Exactly," Carmen nodded as she spoke, "Just because you've been cut off, doesn't mean we can't help finance your social life."

"Aw, you guys are the best." I grinned at my two oldest friends. "I love you!"

We met at school and despite our very different upbringings we were inseparable from day one. Amber originated from California, and she looked like she belonged in Hollywood with her long blonde hair, tanned skin, and big blue eyes. Ditzy but completely loveable, she never acted like a girl whose parents spoiled her more than me. Carmen, while still sweet and loyal, had always been a little more highly strung but we just made sure to reign in the tantrums and diva like behaviour before they really got started.

After graduating high school, I wanted to continue with my education. Even though the girls saw it as a pointless exercise, we all enrolled at the same college and lived together off-campus. As far as attempts go, our joint-effort was abysmal. Amber lasted six months, and Carmen just less than a year. I was the only one to complete the full program, and my girls stayed with me the entire time. I majored in Literature and graduated with honors much to my parents' surprise.

Not being able to shop, lunch, and holiday with them like I was used to was going to be hard. I'd miss them so much and I figured why not cram in as much time with them as I could? "Count me in," I said and they broke out into squeals of excited laughter.

And that was how my third mistake unfolded…

Amber's father was the owner of a string of nightclubs all over the U.S. They catered specifically to the wealthy, extravagant clientele, which until midnight of that particular night; I counted myself a part of.

I wore my favourite dress as a parting gesture; short, strapless, figure hugging and the most gorgeous shade of blue in the history of dresses. This dress made me feel like a sexy confident woman and tonight that was exactly what I needed.

I let Amber straighten my typically unruly hair with the last of the only perfecting serum that worked, knowing that buying more was out of the question as it cost more than I was soon going to be able to afford.

We walked straight into the VIP entrance to the club, and I let the drinks flow. Champagne, tequila shots, Cosmo, Sex on The Beach, Apple Martini's… you name it I was going to drink it. My girls and I made the most of the evening, laughing, gossiping, and every time a song we liked came on, I danced like I had not a care in the world.

It was during one of these dances that I saw _him… _tall, handsome beyond belief, and the most intense and commanding presence even from thirty feet away. He was watching me, and I mean he was _watching_ me. His eyes raked up and down every inch of my body, his mouth parted slightly and there was a look in his eye that sent shivers down my spine. When his eyes met mine, I could barely breathe and it was all I could to do to keep dancing.

He didn't smile, he didn't approach me, but neither did he look away.

So, there we were in the middle of the club—I was dancing, he was watching, and I was watching him watching me. It was like we were the only two people in the room and I couldn't look away. I was so caught up in his presence that I couldn't even tell you what song was playing, the only sound I could hear was my heart pounding in my chest.

I resisted every urge in my body to walk across the dance floor just to touch him… kiss him…

"I fucking love this song, B!" A very drunk Amber stumbled into me as she tried to dance and we almost fell to the floor. "Oops."

I helped steady her and immediately looked back in his direction, but he wasn't there. "Shit," I muttered under my breath as I scoured the club. The darkness, only broken by the strobe lighting, made it impossible to see anything and after several minutes I gave up. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"You okay?" Carmen asked.

"Yeah, I need a drink and a cold shower," I grumbled. "I'm going to sit down, be back soon, okay?"

I left the girls on the dance floor and found a seat in a private area of the club. "Cosmo," I told the server. "In fact, better make it two."

While I sat there, I was constantly on the lookout for him. I couldn't begin to explain the pull I felt, the urge to-

"Someone like you should not be sitting here all alone."

"Every single time you try, Mike," I said through gritted teeth, "And every single time I tell you no."

Mike Newton was a player. Everyone knew him and had probably fucked him at some point, well everyone except for me. Blonde, brunette, redhead, tall, short, fat or thin; none of it mattered. As long as she had tits and a vagina he didn't care and I don't even think a vagina was a hard limit for this guy.

"Can't blame me for trying," he said undeterred. "One night you might surprise me."

"Not enough alcohol in the world for that to ever happen, Mike." I finished both of my drinks quickly and stood up.

"Are we leaving?" he asked hopefully.

"I am," I laughed. "I'm going to the bathroom."

He was still hot on my heels when I got to the ladies room. "What are you doing?"

"Escorting you to the bathroom." He winked. "You might need some assistance."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm more than capable, Mike. I've had twenty years of practice and it's never been a problem."

"I'll just wait out here then," he shouted to me as I pushed open the door.

I purposely took more time than I needed. I combed my hair, retouched my make-up and even added an extra squirt of perfume—just in case I happened to find my mystery starer.

My phone buzzed in my purse and I pulled it out to see a text from Amber.

_Saw you leave with Mike you dirty little bitch! Carm & I met two hot guys and they've invited us to a party. Have fun with Mike, be safe and call me tomorrow after you finish work. OMG that sounds so freakin' weird! Love ya, babes. Xxx_

I decided to do one final walk around of the club to try and find him and if I was unsuccessful I'd just head home. I did after all have a very early start the next morning. I got to the door and could hear Mike outside talking to someone.

"Oh fuck," I mumbled.

Even a chance encounter with a smouldering hot-rod of a man wasn't worth having to deal with Mike for a second time that night. I considered just staying in the bathroom until the club closed, but then I saw a window in one of the stalls. I pushed it open as far as it would go and peered outside. It wasn't that high and it over looked the side entrance to the club, which was only used for private parties.

Satisfied there was no one around, I carefully dropped my purse and shoes onto the ground and climbed through the window. As a kid I'd spent hours and hours scaling the trees around Forks, so this was a piece of cake. I lowered myself down, landing softly on my feet. With a giggle I pulled my dress down, good job no one else was here, or they would have just gotten an eyeful of my white lace panties.

I picked up my purse and slipped back on my shoes, ready to make my way home when I heard someone clear their throat.

I spun around and as soon as I saw the source of the throat-clearing, I made a mental note to hug Mike Newton for not taking the hint and forcing me to flee through the window.

_He _was here… in the alley… fuck!

"Um… hi," I said nervously, feeling that same ball of heat form in my stomach before exploding through my body like a fire.

He was doing it again… that smouldering, intense stare, silently commanding me to come to him. Being so much closer this time, I was staggered to find I was even more attracted to him. This man, whoever the hell he was, was beautiful in a sexy and totally masculine way.

"Can I suggest you use the door in future," he said, his voice rough like sandpaper, but as smooth as silk at the same time.

_Is that was even possible?_

"I needed to make a swift and secret escape," I told him, stepping backwards so my back was pressed against the wall of the club.

I was alone in a dark alley with a man I knew nothing about, except for the fact him simply standing there gave me powerful shivers of lust and the hairs all over my body were standing on end.

"Anyone could be loitering in a back street like this." He took a few steps towards me, his eyes only leaving mine to roam up and down my body. "Don't you think that was a little risky?"

I shrugged, not answering him. I wanted to act nonchalant and cool about the situation… about him, but my heart was beating so loudly I was sure he had to hear it.

"Do you like to take risks?" Three more steps.

"Not usually," I admitted, my voice nothing more than a whisper.

Two more steps. "I saw you inside."

"I know." I smirked. "You seemed to like what you saw."

"I think you know that to be true."

One more step… hesitant this time…almost there.

"I liked it," I admitted, "But I think you know that to be true, too."

One more step… I could almost reach out and touch him… grab him… smell him… kiss him.

"Mm," he murmured, his breath was shaky. Clearly he was as affected as me.

"Where did you go?" I asked him. "You were watching me and then you were gone."

He tapped his pocket once. "I had to step outside and take a call. I was coming back to find you but now here you are."

He took that final step towards me, and our bodies were almost touching. He was tall—much taller than me even in heels, and his physique was lean but muscular, I could tell even through his shirt. I took a deep breath through my nose and my eyelids fluttered as the smell of aftershave hit me. Incredible.

"Here I am." I gulped as he put one had on the wall beside my head. "And here you are."

His other hand moved up and nestled on my hip, his fingers curling around, pulling me to him. I looked up, desperate for him to kiss me… silently pleading for him to kiss me.

When his lips crashed into mine, I died right there. That intensity didn't wane, the sensations I'd thought were overpowering before, multiplied instantly and the want… the need I had for him was uncontrollable.

He had me pinned against the wall, his body grinding against mine in just the right spot and he tasted like champagne, beer, and mints, and it wasn't enough.

With a frustrated groan, he pulled away much too soon. "We're leaving," he said gruffly.

"We are?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "You're assuming I want to leave with a man I don't even know?"

"It's either that or I fuck you right here." The smug bastard smirked.

"And who said I wanted to fuck you?" I challenged. Of course I did, he knew I did.

"Then I guess we say good night here, and I go back to my hotel… alone." He shrugged.

He was toying with me and in the interest of playing hard to get I decided saying goodnight was the best thing to do. I didn't answer him, and he frowned slightly which I liked… I wasn't playing his game.

"I guess so." I smiled.

"Goodbye then," he said and began to back away down the alley. As he did, he grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him.

"Goodbye," I said as we moved slowly out into the street, hoping and praying my resolve wouldn't crumble.

"It seems like such a waste." He raised his free hand to wave over a cab, idling on the other side of the road.

"I'm pretty sure I'll get over it."

With a shake of his head, he released my hand and opened the door to the back seat. I couldn't take my eyes from his. Was I fucking insane? Hot guy offering what I knew would be hot sex after _that_ kiss and I was being stubborn?

As he turned to get into the car, he looked over his shoulder. "Can I offer you a ride home?"

"Sure, why not," I said casually.

He gestured for me to get inside, so I did, purposely leaning over more than was necessary. I sat down, trying to act non-plussed by the whole situation when in fact I was tense, nervous, determined, and horny as hell.

"Two stops," he told the cab driver. "The Fairmont and…" he looked to me for my address.

"Seattle Heights," I answered, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye and of course he was staring at me. "The Fairmont?"

"My temporary home," he told me, still staring. "I just moved here and still need to find my own place."

I nodded and looked out of the window. I felt him shift beside me, his leg brushing against mine, and that was all it took. One brief, innocent moment of contact and I lost the slight remnant of self-control that I had.

I began to turn around to face him, but he was already diving forward at the same time, kissing me like the world was about to end. One of his hands slid up the inside of my leg, resting at the edge of my dress, but his fingers stroking my thigh as high as he could go. Both of us painfully aware that we were not alone.

"Two stops?" the cabbie mumbled. "More like one stop."

"Fairmont," he said raggedly between kisses, pushing me back against the seat. "Just the Fairmont."

"Come on, this is a cab not a brothel," the cabbie shouted at us, but neither of us paid him any attention. "I just had the interior detailed."

When we stopped outside the hotel, a fifty dollar bill was literally thrown at the driver and I was towed from the car. This was a nice hotel, he knew it and I knew it, so he kept his hands and mouth to himself as we walked through the lobby.

"I'm glad you came," he said in my ear, snaking his arm around my waist as we stepped inside the elevator behind an older couple.

Leaning into him, I whispered, "Not yet, but I have high hopes for you tonight."

I saw his Adams apple move as he swallowed thickly, and it amazed me what effect we had on each other. I noticed for the first time that his eyes were a dark, rich green, a shade I'd not seen before, not that I should have been surprised, something told me this man was unique in so many ways.

I stepped away from him, knowing if he touched me I wouldn't be able to control myself. The air was filled with tension and a silence that was deafening. It seemed to take an eternity for the elevator to stop and the couple to get off.

"Five more floors," he told me and I nodded once. "Maybe it would be an idea to introduce myself?"

The doors closed and finally we were alone. I slammed him up against the wall, kissing him. "No time for that," I said against his lips.

Any good behaviour we'd maintained down in the lobby had vanished, and when the doors opened to his floor, he walked me backwards into the hallway and down towards his room, not once breaking the kiss. He foraged in his pocket for the key, and I set to work on opening his belt, buckle and fly, pressing my palm against his erection.

"Shit," he groaned. "I can't open the fucking door."

"You'd better, because we aren't stopping." I was serious, wild horses couldn't stop me now.

I slipped my hand into his opened pants, he cursed again, fumbling desperately with the key with one hand and grabbing my ass with the other.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he growled.

Still we remained on the wrong side of the door, pressed so hard against it, that the likelihood of breaking it down was quite strong. I lost all my inhibitions, the risk of someone catching us like this just made it all the more exciting and I slid down his body to my knees, pushing his pants down just enough to let his dick spring free.

"I told you I wasn't stopping," I said, dragging my nail along the underside of his shaft. "I meant it."

The fumbling with the key had stopped and he was looking down at me, almost daring me to do it. So I did.

I placed one soft kiss on the tip, and then opened my mouth, taking in as much as I could.

"Jesus," he panted and his head thumped on the door. "I can't… shit… we need to go inside.. shit… don't fucking stop."

I didn't stop, I let my teeth graze up and down as I moved and he seemed to like it. One of his hands gripped my head, knotting his fingers in my hair moving me back and forth, and the other finally got the card into the lock, but he didn't open the door.

I could feel his legs shaking and his breathing growing more and more erratic. I was more than content to keep doing this, loving how powerless he was at my hand… or mouth, but he finally opened the door and pulled me to my feet.

"Inside, I need you inside now," he said, kicking the door closed behind us and then I found myself back against it… he must really like the whole pinning thing.

His hands pushed my dress up, and grabbed my ass again as he dropped his head to kiss my neck and shoulders. He nibbled, sucked, and bit every piece of exposed skin. When he came to the neckline of my dress, he moved his hands to open the zipper and push the fabric down to reveal my white lace bra and then he slid the dress right down to the floor.

The lights had come on automatically in the room, and he pulled his head back, staring at me like only he had ever done. "And I thought you were sinful _in_ that fucking dress," he growled and then kissed me again.

I tugged at the buttons on his shirt, pretty sure I ripped a few in the process and dragged my nails down his smooth and firm chest, feeling him squirm a little when my touch lightened on his stomach.

"I don't even know your fucking name," he said against my mouth. "Tell me your name."

"Bella," I moaned. "My name's Bella."

I heard him say something back, but as his tongue was in my mouth at the same time, it was unintelligible. I was going to ask him to say it again, but he chose that very moment to slide his fingers into my panties.

"Oh my god," I cried, grabbing on to his shoulders. I could feel how worked up he was, his shoulders were tense and the muscles in his arm, which was braced against the door, were flexed.

Two, long fingers slipped inside and his thumb pressed against my clit making me cry out. "You're killing me," I gasped.

"Bella, I've not even fucking started with you yet."

I threw my head back, hitting it on the door but I didn't care. All I could feel was him, his fingers… his mouth… his nose dragging down my skin… his hot breath leaving a burning trail as he kissed me and then he pushed my bra down, capturing my nipple between his lips. I couldn't comprehend what he was doing to me and the reaction of my body caught us both by surprise.

I screamed out a mumbled combination of sounds that were not recognisable as any language on this planet and let him eke every second of the most explosive orgasm I'd ever had from my body.

He kissed back up to my face, softly pressing his lips against mine, letting me catch my breath. After a few minutes, I placed both hands on his chest and pushed him back to the bed, helping him out of the rest of his clothes as he moved.

He lay down watching my every move and I slowly reached around to open and remove my bra, throwing it to the floor. I kept my eyes on him, smiling as his gaze flickered between my face and my hands as they wandered lazily down my body, pushing my underwear down my legs as sexily as I could.

I didn't move for a fraction of a second, but clearly that was too long, because in the blink of an eye I was on my back on the bed, with my arms pinned over my head. Like I said, the guy loved the pinning.

"I knew when I saw you," he said in my ear, slowly easing himself inside me… stretching me… filling me. "I knew I had to fucking have you… I knew it would feel this good."

I wrapped my legs around his back as he began to rock his hips, pressing my heels into his ass urging him deeper because I was greedy and needed more. He let go of my hands and I grabbed his shoulders, clawing at him with my nails.

It felt good, so fucking good I never wanted it to stop. I felt my body responding to him again, and I begged for more arching my back into him. Wow this guy had a gift.

His head fell to my shoulder, pressing hard against it and biting my neck. That added sensation was enough to tip me over the edge and he must have felt it too, he had to have felt it because an almost feral roar emanated from him and with one hard final push he stilled, his entire body trembling.

And that, my friends, was mistake number four. The best fucking mistake of all.

**A/N**

**So now you get it! More to come next week!**

**Let's just pretend E&B had the conversation about protection, m'kay? Or he really can read minds and just knew B was on the pill and they were both STD free lol!**

**Thanks to Kitty and MzPeaches for all their wonderful help and to you for reading, reviewing, alerting etc.**

**TTFN**

**Katy**

**x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Back to the boardroom…**

**Chapter 3**

**Bella...**

Of all the men in Seattle to spend the night with, I had to find the one that was to become my boss. I tried to maintain my composure, but it was so hard... oh God… hard… thrusting… sweaty… touching…

_Not helping._

I took a calming breath and smiled and three friendly faces smiled back, beckoning me over to the table, but the man I'd left in bed just three hours ago, who I now knew as Mr. Cullen, was completely expressionless.

"Hello," I said nervously, fidgeting with the buttons on my jacket. I kept my eyes on Phil, Irina, and Peter as I sat down.

His mere _un_reaction to my presence was odd; surely the others had to see that? I got no hello, good morning, not even a smile or courteous nod of that handsome face.

_Did he even recognise me?_

"How are you, Isabella?" Peter Hale asked kindly, while also trying to discreetly stare at my chest. "It's been a long time since I last saw you and I have to admit, I was very surprised when Phil told me you were joining us."

"Not as surprised as I was," I said with a laugh.

"I think it's going to be very rewarding for you." Irina nodded and again Mr. Cullen said and did nothing.

"Well, as you already know, you'll be working for Mr. Cullen." Phil kept things formal, indicating to Mr. Cullen as he spoke. "Edward joined us about eight weeks ago and although he has already assumed Peter's role, he'll be formally announced as his replacement on Friday. Unfortunately, we are also losing Peter's longstanding assistant, Mrs. Goff. She has very kindly agreed to stay on until you are up to par and capable of taking on the role independently."

"Okay." My palms were sweating and the images playing over and over in my head of Mr. Edward Cullen in considerably less clothing, did not help my already uncomfortable situation.

"Even though I assured Phil it wasn't necessary, he insisted on the usual probationary period for you, Isabella," Irina said almost apologetically. "During that period, you will be assessed by Edward and other equally qualified colleagues. Then at the end of week twelve, their opinions will be taken into consideration before your contract is made permanent."

_Physical assessment? On this table perhaps? Naked?_ Stop it now.

"If Mr. Cullen isn't satisfied with your work you will be out of a job and on your own," Phil told me sternly. "You realise that?"

"Absolutely," I assured him.

"We understand that working under Edward is a position you're going to be unfamiliar with," Irina said innocently, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to disguise the smile.

Edward's composure slipped when he heard Irina's words; he coughed and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. I assumed he had the exact same image as I did in his head—me very much underneath him and boy it was _very_ familiar. He glanced at me for the first time, the slightest tinge of pink forming on his cheeks and a momentary flash of that same hunger in his eyes.

"However, I'm positive you will be an asset to this company, Isabella," Irina continued, oblivious to Edward's reaction. "There's no point sitting in here all morning chatting, so we'll let Edward escort you to the office and introduce you to the people on your floor."

"Thank you, Irina," Edward said. It was the first time I'd heard his voice and it was different from last night. It was more formal and controlled. I looked straight to Edward who rose smoothly to his feet. "Shall we, Miss. Swan?"

"Of course, Mr. Cullen," I said sweetly and followed him towards the door.

He never said another word to me as we walked towards the elevator and during the ride up to the fifteenth floor. I kept looking at him, but his eyes were fixed firmly ahead, not a trace of emotion on his face and this time the elevator ride was much less interesting.

When the doors to our floor opened, he waited for me to step from the elevator first. The space was large, open plan, but very sparsely decorated. I looked around and saw an older woman rise from a desk over in the far corner of the office. She approached us with a welcoming smile on her face.

"Coffee, Mr. Cullen?" she asked and he nodded.

"Black please, Mrs. Goff." She managed to get a smile out of him, but it was tight and obviously forced. "I'd like to introduce you to Miss. Swan, your replacement—unless I can persuade you to stay? I doubt you are going to be easily replaced."

_Asshole._

I tried not to be offended, but it wasn't easy. Mr. Cockhead wasn't so eager to get rid of me last night though, was he?

_Asshole._

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Cullen. I've been here for long enough. You needn't worry anyway; I'll teach her everythingI know." Mrs. Goff held out her hand to me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss. Swan."

"It's Bella, please," I told her. "I'm pleased to meet you, too."

"I have some calls to make," Mr. Cullen announced. "Could you show Miss. Swan around the relevant departments and introduce her to the rest of our team please?"

"Of course, Mr. Cullen," Mrs. Goff said happily.

"I'd like to see you both in my office at eleven, just to run through a few things." He strode away without another word towards an office which was separated from Mrs. Goff's desk by a wall of glass, frosted at the bottom but opaque at the top.

As soon as he closed the door to his office, Mrs. Goff let out a long whistle. "Well his good mood appears to have left in a hurry," she said to herself as she poured the coffee. "I guess we should have known that was too good to be true." I watched her take the drink into the office, again receiving another tight smile before Mr. Cullen turned his chair so his back was to the door.

When she re-joined me she lowered her voice and whispered, "This piece of advice is probably the most valuable if you want to survive this job."

"What?" I asked.

"Learn the coffee code."

"The what?" I almost laughed.

"The coffee code," she said again. "It's a fail-safe system, Bella, trust me. You'll learn to tell his mood just by the way he drinks his coffee."

"Really?" I did laugh this time, but she nodded seriously.

She took me over to the coffee pod. "His most common request is cream and one sugar. If he asks for that you know he's in a good mood, but just handle him with care."

"Okay," I said dubiously.

"Espresso usually means he has pulled an all-nighter or had a particularly trying day. That was his first request this morning, so I assume he was here late last night."

I snickered knowing exactly why he needed the Espresso, but she assumed I was laughing at her coffee code. She laughed for a second and then said, "I know this sounds ridiculous, but we've all learned the coffee code."

"You're starting to scare me," I admitted.

"He does occasionally ask for a tea. I made him one after a particularly trying meeting with an author and his agent, and it seemed to mellow him out. He never drinks tea in a morning though, always an afternoon." Mrs. Goff picked up one jar and smiled. "Now this is the golden ticket."

I read the label. "Cinnamon?"

"If he asks for a cinnamon then you've hit the jackpot. Choose this moment to give him any bad news… he's much less likely to react." She put the jar back with a sigh. "After the Espresso he asked for a cinnamon this morning, so that's why I was surprised to see him all on-edge when he came back from the boardroom. I wonder what happened?"

_I happened… three times last night as a matter of fact. _

"And just now?" I quizzed. "He asked for black."

"Black, my dear, means it's going to be a long and difficult day." She rolled her eyes.

"Super," I mumbled.

"Come on then, let's take you to meet everybody."

I followed her past the elevators and towards another glass door, inside was a large open plan office with about eight or nine desks dotted around. She knocked on the door and the girls sitting at the desks closest to us whipped their heads around quickly.

"Relax, it's only me," Mrs. Goff laughed. "But he just asked for a black coffee so be prepared."

"Great," a dark-haired girl muttered. "I hate black coffee days."

"You said he asked for cinnamon this morning?" a man sitting furthest away grumbled.

"You know how he is, Colin. Prepare for the worst at all times." Mrs. Goff shrugged. "I'm giving Bella the tour of the floor and introducing her to everybody she'll be working with."

The curt nods and barely there smiles told me they were already aware exactly who I was and didn't care for me.

"These guys are Mr. Cullen's eyes. Any potential authors are asked to submit the first three chapters and a brief synopsis. Colin, Embry, and Claire read them and if they like the premise they'll request the full story for the assistant editors. Each assistant editor has their own preferred genre and the manuscripts are distributed according to those preferences as they have the knowledge for that particular market." She pointed to two trays on each of the desks. "You will need to collect these each day. One pile is for rejections and the other—approved."

"Okay." I made notes and tried to commit every instruction to my mind.

"Unlike some, Mr. Cullen likes to read everything we approve before we get the final nod to publish. He also reviews some of the rejections… just to be sure we didn't miss something good. He usually reads them at the end of the day and then leaves them on your desk for the following morning." Mrs Goff took me over to a small, dark-haired girl. "This is Alice. She's your fantasy and supernatural girl."

"Really?" I smiled and she shrugged.

"Yep, what can I say, I have a weakness for vampires and psychics." She didn't smile at me or say anything welcoming and just put her head back down to work.

"Jessica proofs the chick-lit and romance sections." Mrs. Goff pointed to the girl sitting opposite Alice. "Any erotica that comes in also goes her way."

I nodded and asked Jessica, "Erotica sells?"

"Like hotcakes," she told me as if I should have known it already. "Mommy Porn is one of the fastest growing markets."

"Wow," I mused. "It's not something I've read."

"_That _I can believe," she said with a patronising laugh, "You don't exactly strike me as a reader."

"Jess," Mrs. Goff warned. "There's no need for that."

"It's okay," I told her and looked purposely at Jess. "I _love_ to read, I've always loved to read. I've just never felt the need to read erotica… I guess my boyfriend keeps me satisfied enough."

I didn't have a boyfriend and I hadn't for a long time but she didn't need to know that. I could have told her that I'd had my own mind-blowing erotic experience last night with the man just a few hundred feet away but decided quickly against it; knowing that being the girl who fucked the boss wouldn't exactly endear me to these people.

Jessica gave me a petulant look, and I thought for a second she was going stick her tongue out at me… probably too scared of my connection with Phil to do anything worse, but Mrs. Goff intervened.

"Play nice, Jessica. You really don't do yourself any favors with that attitude. Why do you think Mr. Cullen is always hot on your heels? We're all part of the same team."

"Whatever," Jessica huffed and got back to work.

As Mrs. Goff ran through the rest of the team, I tried to remember who everybody but it wasn't easy. I made sure to be friendly and sound interested, but none of them made any effort to return the niceties.

After my rather unpleasant experience with the editing team, we took the stairs up to the sixteenth floor. "Whenever you come up here, you only need to see Seth, Emily, or Jacob."

"Why's that?"

"Seth, Emily, and Jacob work solely on Mr. Cullen's accounts. The other departments such as non-fiction, children's, educational etc., all have their own designated team." She smiled and added, "I love coming up here, they're a great bunch and not as highly strung as the group downstairs. That might have something to do with their close proximity to Mr. Cullen of course."

"He does seem very intense," I agreed and she laughed.

"He doesn't suffer fools and he has… pardon my French… a great bullshit detector. I had a wonderful working relationship with Mr. Hale, but he wasn't as involved with his editing team and when Mr. Cullen came it was a big shock to have someone breathing down their necks. He doesn't let them get away with half of the things Mr. Hale used to and when we heard he was retiring I think we all expected Mr. King to replace him. It certainly has been a difficult transition for them."

"Do they like Mr. King?" I asked.

"I think they would have preferred his management style to Mr. Cullen's." She smirked. "But, there's no denying Mr. Cullen gets results, he's got a great sense for what sells and that's why they overlooked Mr. King in favour of him, despite the family connection."

Royce King was engaged to Peter's daughter, Rosalie, and I'd met him on a few occasions. He always seemed friendly, maybe a little too friendly with women who were not his fiancée, but Rosalie didn't seem to notice or care… or both. Rosalie didn't notice or care about anything other than her next vacation or shopping trip; maybe she could be my dad's next intervention?

As we walked through the very busy and noisy department, Mrs. Goff pointed out what departments the different people worked for. She took me over to a partitioned section of the floor and called, "Hey guys!"

Just as she'd told me, Seth, Emily, and Jacob were nothing at all like those downstairs. If they knew who I was, it didn't seem to matter and they welcomed me eagerly.

"Did you tell her about the coffee code?" Emily asked and Mrs. Goff nodded. "Please, please, please, Bella, make sure you email me when he gets in, if we know what he's drinking we can be prepared."

"I'll make sure I do." I smiled and told her, "It was black when we left him in his office."

"Black? Aw, jeez. I have to present to him later," Jacob grumbled. "That guy's like a woman with PMS all the damned time."

The others laughed but agreed emphatically. After a few minutes chatting about what they were working on, we left them to it. Just as we walked towards the stairwell we bumped into Mr. King. Royce was in his mid-thirties and was undeniably a good looking guy, the problem was he _knew_ it. He was a little too confident in his charm for my liking.

"Good morning, Mrs. Goff." He smiled and then turned his attention to me. "Miss. Dwyer."

"It's Swan," I corrected.

"Sorry, I forget Phil's your step-father. How about I just call you, Isabella?" He laughed.

"Sure," I agreed.

"So, how's Cullen treating you? He's got a reputation for being a hard ass." He had an edge to his voice and I detected some serious sour grapes that he was not currently sitting in that fifteenth floor office. "If he gives you any problems, make sure you let me know and I'll put him in his place."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," I said to him, not sure that things would be fine for one minute.

"I'm sorry but we need to get back, Mr. King," Mrs. Goff told him politely. "We have a meeting shortly and I need to show Miss. Swan a few things beforehand."

"Sorry to have kept you," he said and stepped aside to let us past. As I walked by him, he leaned in closely and squeezed my waist. "It was nice to see you, Isabella."

I tried not to hurl and followed Mrs. Goff quickly, feeling his eyes on me as I walked away. We were back to our desk by ten-thirty and Mrs. Goff sat beside me as she ran through her basic day as Mr. Cullen's assistant. I looked at the list of jobs and tasks that just seemed to keep coming and coming and I had no idea how she managed it all in one week let alone a day.

_Morning brief at eight sharp with the editorial team. _

_Arrange meetings with authors, agents, printers, and suppliers... confirm meetings with authors, agents, printers, and suppliers._

_Collect the completed manuscripts and deliver the approved ones directly to Mr. Cullen._

_Prepare rejection letters for the ones deemed unsuitable. _

_Wait for the manuscripts to come back from Mr. Cullen's office and then prepare more rejection or acceptance letters._

_Prepare contracts._

_Post contracts. _

_Edit contracts._

_Chase agents._

_Chase authors._

_Answer calls._

_Attend meetings with authors, agents, printers and suppliers taking thorough minutes._

_Make coffee._

_Bring lunch._

_Make more coffee._

My head was spinning and I wanted to march straight out of the building and go home. Even with Mrs. Goff's help, there was no way I could do this. I was doomed to fail but perhaps that was the point?

"I know it seems daunting now," Mrs Goff said, obviously recognising my imminent breakdown. "And I have to admit, I'm surprised they chose you for this particular position."

"Because I'm the spoiled, selfish, rich kid who's never worked a day in her life?" I snapped. "I know people hate me because of my relationship with Phil, but-"

"I didn't mean that at all." She stopped me with a shake of her head. "A job is a job, Bella, we all have to start somewhere. No, what I meant when I said I was surprised… well Mr. Cullen is especially particular and difficult to handle. I hope he behaves himself with you, he has a tendency to be quite domineering if he thinks he can get away with it."

_Oh, don't I know that._

"How do you keep him in check?" I asked, interested. "He seemed fine with you."

"I give him no choice in the matter, Bella, and he knows it."

I nodded, not sure if I had the same strength of character as Mrs. Goff. "They made me take this job," I admitted. "My dad thinks I need to live in the real world."

"Really?" She laughed. "No wonder you seem a little overwhelmed."

"I think they assume I'm bound to fail," I said quietly. "Maybe that's why I'm here."

"Or, they might see Mr. Cullen as someone who could be a good influence," she offered helpfully ignoring my look of doubt. "He hasn't even turned thirty yet and already he's achieved so much. Maybe they hope his determination and drive could inspire you?"

"Who knows," I mumbled.

We were in his office as requested at eleven sharp. Mr. Cullen's desk was positioned to make the most of the view he had of downtown Seattle. There was a circular table with six chairs around it in one corner of the office and a bookcase in the other. The bookcase was empty, but I saw boxes and boxes of unpacked books on the floor. He stayed behind his desk and instructed us to sit opposite him, rather than at the table.

"You showed Miss. Swan around?" he asked Mrs. Goff and his voice seemed softer than earlier.

"Yes, I've given her a brief breakdown of her duties and other…titbits of advice." She smiled cheekily, but Mr. Cullen failed to notice.

I sat there, almost invisible while he and Mrs. Goff went through a few things and I found myself staring at him. There were dark shadows around his eyes, and something told me that wasn't just a result of last night. I was still undeniably attracted to him, even more so when I thought about just how good last night had been, but I had no idea if he felt the same. His behaviour so far today told me he had barely given me a second thought and that bothered me much more than it should.

"Okay, I'll get make a start straight away, Mr. Cullen." Mrs. Goff recognized her cue to leave and she beckoned me to follow her.

"Actually, Mrs. Goff, I just need to have a word with Miss. Swan." He still didn't look at me, but still my stomach flipped and I almost forgot to breathe.

"Of course, Mr. Cullen. Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, cream and one sugar please," he told her and as she turned to leave she gave me a hopeful nod.

Maybe his mood had improved?

When the door closed, I decided to try and act more relaxed. Maybe my tense demeanour had rubbed off on him? Maybe he thought I was going to tell Phil everything and get him fired?

"So…" I gave him a friendly smile. "Edward, huh?"

"Mr. Cullen," he corrected icily and my heart sank.

"Sorry, Mr. Cullen," I said, wondering if did actually know who I was.

"I think we have to talk about last night…"

"Oh so you _do_ remember me, then?" I retorted, all the friendliness gone. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about it."

He clasped his hands together on the desk and sighed. "I think we both remember last night much more than we should." Now he was giving me a look like he did last night, but something told me the outcome wasn't going to be as much fun. "And I think we both agree last night was…"

_Amazing, unforgettable, something we have to do again and soon?_

"Was?" I pressed when he didn't elaborate.

"A momentary lapse in judgement and poor self-control on both our parts. Something that will not happen again." His tone was clipped and it actually hurt me a little bit. "We need to forget it happened and maintain a purely professional relationship."

"Really?" I said with an angry laugh. "That's really what you want?"

"Yes of course," he replied, again his tone was cold.

"You think what happened last night was just bad judgement?" I seethed, trying not to raise my voice. "Just simple lack of control… three times, Mr. Cullen?"

He nodded. "Just lack of control."

I shook my head in disbelief. "You're unbelievable."

"Lower your voice," he hissed.

"You're an asshole," I told him. "I was as surprised as you when I walked into that boardroom, _Mr. Cullen¸ _but I thought that as two adults, we could handle this maturely. I thought whatever was going to happen between us -"

"This was never going to become anything," he said, cutting me off quickly.

"You weren't giving me that impression last night," I said angrily. "I distinctly remember _you_ asking _me _to spend the night."

"And why do you think I wanted you to stay?" he said sharply. "If someone had woken me this morning instead of sneaking out of the room, I could have made it perfectly clear that nothing else was ever going to happen."

So I was just a casual fuck, just a random girl in a bar he'd taken back to his hotel? This day just kept getting better and better.

"Oh, I see," I said, trying to disguise how much his rejection did actually sting. "Wow, you're really something."

"I'm not interested in any kind of relationship with you other than that of my assistant." He looked detached, cold, and downright arrogant. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal," I snapped and stood up. "Are we done now?"

"Yes," he said quietly and I walked briskly to the door. As I reached for the handle he spoke again. "I'm sorry, Bella, this is just how it has to be." He sounded sincere, but I most certainly did not accept his apology.

"It's,_ Miss. Swan,"_ I spat, and tried my absolute hardest not to slam the door with all the strength I had.

_Asshole. Cockhead. Asshole._

I walked back to the desk and just as I approached it, the phone rang. Mrs. Goff put it on speaker. "Yes, Mr. Cullen?"

"Make that coffee black," he barked and the line went dead.

"Oh dear, we're back to square one." She sighed. "I really don't know what's wrong with him today. I promise he's not always like this."

I found that difficult to believe. In fact, I was starting to think the man I met last night; the confident, sexy and attentive man, who spent most of the time we had together making sure I was as satisfied as he, was nothing more than a figment of my imagination.

I thought back to this morning and how I had just left him sleeping. In my defence I thought I was being nice given the early hour. I'd woken just before five with a hangover, headache from hell, and just a few hours to prepare myself for my first day at work. I had considered waking him, but as it was so early and he looked so peaceful I decided to leave him be. I _had_ programmed my number into his cell phone, and kissed him on the cheek as I left.

Admittedly, I had been hoping for a call back. After a night like that, I would be an absolute fool not to want more. Now I'd gotten to see the real Mr. Asshole I wasn't so sure I'd even answer if he did.

_Yeah, I probably would…_

"I think he tries too hard," Mrs. Goff said in his defence. "He rarely talks about his personal life, I highly doubt he has much of one, but the glimpses I've seen of the real him, makes me think he's had to work harder than most to get these opportunities."

I said nothing in response and tried to push him out of my mind, instead focusing all my attention onto what Mrs. Goff did, but Mr. Asshole was very demanding, constantly asking for files, reports, updates and coffee (still black).

By five-thirty I was fed up, my head was throbbing and I wanted to go home to sleep. I saw the editing team walk towards the elevators, laughing and joking with each other as they did.

"Miss. Brandon?" The sound of Edward's voice right behind me, made me jump. "I'm yet to receive your feedback on the Keller manuscript."

Alice, one of the rude girls from this morning walked towards him. "I haven't gotten to it yet," she answered timidly. "I've been working through some others… the Keller one is…um quite a difficult read."

"Is it in different language?" he asked, confused.

"No." Alice shook her head. "It's definitely English."

"And is English not your first language?"

"Um… no… I mean yes… of course, Mr. Cullen." Alice looked like she was about to pee her pants.

"Then unless you have become illiterate in the past twenty-four hours since I asked you to look at it, I expect it reviewed and on my desk by tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Mr. Cullen," Alice mumbled and I tried not to smile. Mr. Cullen was quite adept at public humiliation.

"Mrs. Goff, I'm going to make a start on my manuscripts now, so you may as well leave for the day." He spoke without so much as a glance in my direction and then went back inside his office.

"He likes to read alone without interruption," Mrs. Goff told me. "Just take him a full pot of coffee and leave him to it."

I nodded and with a sigh of relief I said, "Thank God that's over."

"It will get better I promise. He's just testing you. Do what he asks and do it well and make sure you don't give him any ammunition to fire at you and you'll be just fine."

I wanted to tell her I'd already given him enough ammunition to arm a small country, but thought better of it and wished her goodnight instead.

**EPOV**

_I'm in deep, deep shit. Fuck._

* * *

**Not the typical Edward I usually go for but change is good I guess!**

**So much gratitude for Kitty & Mary for all of their wonderful help, they are Americanizing me a little more each day! **

**Thanks for such an awesome response to the first chapter/s I was so nervous about it but you're all so wonderful I'm seriously blown away. **

**More to come next week, I have a few chapters in reserve so regular posting should continue for the next few weeks at least!**

**Arrivederci!**

**Katy**

**xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I own nothing except Kitty & Mary—they're all mine!**

**Chapter 4**

It was only a short walk from the offices of D.D.H to my apartment, but by the time I walked through the door my feet were screaming, I had the beginnings of a migraine, and I was as angry as hell.

"She's home!" Amber shrieked and ran over to my side. "So, B, what's it like being a working girl?

I held my finger to my lips, desperately needing some quiet. "First of all," I groaned as I took off my shoes, "Working girl implies hooker and I'm not a hooker. Second of all, I hated every goddamn second and never want to step foot in that place again."

"Oh no, poor little, Bella," Carmen said with a pout. "Why did you hate it?"

"My boss is the asshole of the century, my colleagues hate me, and I have no idea what I'm doing," I muttered. "I'm so irritated with my dad for ever getting me into this."

"You just need distracting." Amber rubbed my back. "Go and take a shower and we can go out for dinner."

"I'm not hungry." I shook my head. "I need a nice hot bath and then I'm going to bed." I gave them both a hug and trudged wearily to my bedroom.

"Wait!" Carmen cried and I winced. "What about Mike?"

"What about Mike?" I rubbed my temples trying to soothe the relentless throbbing.

"You went home with him last night. Did you guys sleep together?"

"No!" I pulled a face. "I didn't leave with Mike."

"I saw you," Amber piped up. "I saw you heading towards the door with him practically humping you from behind."

"First of all, ew!" I grimaced. "And second, what you saw was me going to the bathroom and Mike refusing to leave me alone. I climbed out of the window just to avoid seeing him again."

The girls giggled and I thought that was the end of the conversation… unfortunately it wasn't.

"So where did you spend the night? I know you didn't come home." Amber waggled her eyes and Carmen grinned.

I leaned against the door and sighed. "Last night I met the sexiest, the most intense guy ever, we had the most amazing, incredible, mind-blowing sex all night long and…"

"And?" the girls said in unison.

"And," I added with a deep pang of regret in my stomach. "I found out he's not only the guy I'm going to be working for, but he's also the world's biggest jerk who I wish I'd never laid eyes on."

"No way!"

"Yes way. He made me feel like a total tramp, guys." I shook my head sadly. "I seriously hate my life right now.

"Aw, Bella, it's going to get better." Amber gave me a tight hug. "It can't get any worse, right?"

I scoffed, because as long as I had to work in close proximity to Mr. Cockhead, I strongly suspected it was going to get much, much worse.

TBMOA

The rest of my first week continued in the same vein as day one. Mrs. Goff patiently went over every single detail time and time again. Never getting frustrated or annoyed and constantly reassured me that I was doing fine, she was the only reason I had the strength to stay at my desk and not walk straight upstairs and tell Phil that I was done.

Alice and the rest of the editing team remained unfriendly, but at least they acknowledged that I was actually there, the same could not be said for Edward Cullen. He acted like I didn't even exist; I never got so much as a polite hello, or a smile, not even a glance in my direction. Incidentally he had asked for black coffee every single day since I arrived.

The only people besides Mrs. Goff who seemed to like me were Emily, Jacob, and Seth and I took any opportunity to go to the art department to see them but unfortunately the occasional ten minutes here and there was the most I could manage.

By the time the weekend came, I was exhausted. Physically, the job wasn't too taxing, but I was mentally and emotionally spent. Ordinarily, the girls and I would have spent the weekend partying, shopping, and eating out, but I no desire to do anything except chill out at home with a bottle of wine and a selection of chick flicks.

The girls had tried their best to persuade me to join them, offering to finance the night out, but I felt weirdly at odds letting them pay again and I spent Saturday night in my room alone for the first time in years.

On Sunday I tossed and turned all night long. Facing Edward again was making me feel sick to the bottom of my stomach and spending all day, every day on a floor where only one person had any time for me, did not make returning to work on Monday morning appealing in the slightest.

I always made sure I looked the part, choosing my outfit each morning carefully. I saw my make-up as my mask and my clothes a perfect disguise, hiding how insecure and self-conscious I felt when I was in the office. It was an unusual feeling for me, I had never been insecure and I certainly didn't care what people other than my family and friends thought, but for the first time in my life I was the one trying to fit in and I hated it.

I considered saying the hell with it and just walking out and never coming back, but my dad's face kept appearing in my mind, a look of resignation on his face, like he knew that I never really tried. So, I stayed where I was, knowing that the longer I managed to stick this out, the more chance I had of being able to walk away with my head held high.

I arrived at eight sharp Monday morning, just as my hours were supposed to be, but found everyone else was already sitting around the table in Edward's office holding their morning debrief. I knocked to enter, but I was waved away by Mr. Cockhead who did it without even looking in my direction.

_Wonderful. Horrible Monday just got doubly horrid._

I sat at my desk and tried to at least work on a few of the jobs I could do without Mrs. Goff's help. When the others emerged from the meeting forty-five minutes later Mrs. Goff came straight over to me, apologising profusely.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I'm so used to being here early I didn't think to warn you to be here with five minutes to spare. He's always eager to get the debrief done and out of the way on a Monday. I feel terrible. I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I told her with a shrug. "I'm beginning to think he doesn't even know I'm here anyway. Whatever I do I'm sure it will be wrong."

She smiled sympathetically. "He is making it very difficult for you. It must be because of Phil. Maybe he's just trying to test you?"

It was nothing to do with Phil and everything to do with the fact that I'd had his dick in my mouth amongst other places, but of course I didn't tell her that.

A few minutes later, Edward came over to the desk placing some minutes in my in-tray, still without looking at me. He did however look at Mrs. Goff. "I hope your weekend was good, Mrs. Goff?"

She seemed a little taken aback with his interest. "Oh… yes, it was lovely. And you, Mr. Cullen?"

"Edward, please." He smiled. "And yes, I had a great weekend."

Then to my astonishment he actually turned his head in my direction. "Miss, Swan, I'm expecting a call from a lady called Bree Tanner, please make sure she's put through to me immediately."

_Asshole._

"Yes, Mr. Cullen," I said, knowing what game he was playing. Whoever Bree Tanner was, he made sure I knew just how important her call was.

"Other than Bree's call, I'm not to be disturbed." He held my gaze for a second or two, almost as though he was waiting for a reaction.

"I understand," I told him and gave him a polite smile. "Is there anything else you need?"

He shook his head once and returned back to his office.

"I can't fathom his mood swings." Mrs. Goff said, shaking her head. "There's definitely something on his mind, I just have no idea what. And I really don't understand what you've done to deserve his wrath."

"Who knows." I hated asking, but I had to know. "Mrs. Goff, who's Bree Tanner?"

"Her name is familiar, but I can't place her," she said. "I can only assume it's personal. We definitely don't have a file for her and I'm sure her name would have come up if it was a professional matter. Then again, why on earth would he have her call come through to us? He never takes personal calls on his office line. I give up trying to work him out."

_Definitely for my benefit. _He was making sure I knew I'd been forgotten… cast aside without a second thought.

_Asshole._

_Cockhead._

The morning passed without any problems, and there was no call from Bree Tanner, but I could see Mrs. Goff was still thinking about it, still trying to figure out why he was acting so weirdly. When she left for her lunch, I decided it was time to have a talk with Mr. Cullen.

I took a deep breath and walked into his office without bothering to knock. "We need to talk," I said bluntly.

He looked up from his laptop. "I said I wasn't to be disturbed," he said sharply.

"Well tough shit, because we need to talk." I walked over to him and sat down opposite. "I'm here to be courteous, _Mr. Cullen"_

"Please explain how barging into my office when I specifically asked not to be disturbed is being courteous, Miss. Swan?" He sat back in his chair, and held his eyes firmly on mine, unnerving me slightly… okay unnerving me a lot.

"Look, I have no idea what I've done that makes you hate me like you do. If it's because of what happened when we first met, then we were _both_ there, Edward. We were _both_ consenting adults and it's not fair for you to put all the blame on me like that."

"What point are you trying to make, Miss. Swan?" he asked tiredly, running one hand through his hair. The same messy, soft, wild hair that my hands had pulled and toyed with…

_Stop it!_

"I can't believe you're the same guy," I said with a shake of my head.

"Your point, Miss. Swan?" he repeated.

"Look, Mrs. Goff has commented how oddly you act around me, she notices that on the few occasions you actually acknowledge my presence, you're rude, short tempered and she's starting to wonder why the hell you despise me so much."

He shook his head and muttered something under his breath. It was probably another insult aimed at me, so I just let it go.

"I'm not sure if you genuinely can't stand the sight of me, or if you think I'm going to tell everyone what happened between us," I said, leaning forward and resting my hands on the desk. "But I won't… I wouldn't ever, Edward. I'm not _that_ girl. Besides, I'm universally disliked here as it is just for being Phil's step-daughter, if people found out I'd slept with my boss it would just be more fuel for the fire."

"Point made," he said, his tone less clipped and his expression a shade softer.

"So we can at least be civil?" I asked hopefully.

"Miss. Swan," he said, the softness gone immediately. "I will be more mindful of how I act around you, but just know the lack of respect I have for you has nothing to do with the night we first met."

"This I have to hear," I muttered. "Please, Mr. Cullen, tell me what I did to be so disrespected?"

"Not a damned thing," he said. "That's precisely the point."

"What?"

"You and what other girls like you represent infuriate me. You have everything handed to you on a silver platter and yet it's still not enough. Do you know how many people out there in the real world would kill for an opportunity like this? How many people need a job just to make ends meet?" He stood up and looked out of the window. "I've heard all about you and why you're here, Miss. Swan, and it's ridiculous. I will not be a part of some soul-searching mission for a spoiled little rich girl who pretends to learn life values just to get her privileges back." He didn't shout, but his words still made me cower in my chair.

"So basically you hate me because I come from a wealthy family?" I asked him, anger bubbling inside my chest. "You hate me because I got to enjoy nice things?"

"I don't hate you, Miss. Swan, I don't care about you enough to hate you." He turned to face me. "But I am disgusted with myself. I have good instincts, damned good instincts and I've gotten to where I am today by trusting those instincts, and yet I failed to see your true colours that night and I hate that."

"That's not fair," I said quietly. "You don't know me at all. You didn't take the time to get to know me enough to judge me—to make assumptions about who I am."

"I think I know enough," he said and sat back down. "You can close the door on your way out."

I stood up and left without another word, hoping he didn't see my eyes fill with tears. I sat at my desk and willed myself not to cry, he had no idea who I really was, so his opinion shouldn't matter. He was no better than the rest of them. He was just another person who couldn't see past my upbringing.

Yet, somehow, despite every conscious effort to forget what he said, I found his opinion mattered most of all.

TBMOA

When Mrs. Goff returned from her lunch I had composed myself and mentioned nothing about the confrontation with Edward in the office. I chatted with her while I worked and counted down the hour and minutes until it was time to go home.

As the clock ticked closer to six o'clock, the phone rang and I picked it up happily, knowing I'd be out of here soon enough.

"Mr. Cullen's office?"

"Put me through to Edward," a woman's breathy voice sounded down the phone.

"May I ask who's calling?" I said, my voice tight because I already knew who it was.

She sighed and said simply, "Bree."

I transferred the call through to Edward and put on the most casual, sweet voice I could. "Mr. Cullen, I have Bree on the telephone for you."

He started to say thank you, but I just hit the transfer button cutting him off.

_Asshole._

The phone call lasted nineteen minutes. Nineteen minutes of hearing him laughing and joking with the whore on the phone. I couldn't tell exactly what he was saying, but the tone to his voice said more than enough.

_Asshole._

Just as I was putting on my coat the telephone rang. With a frustrated huff, I hit the speaker button and continued getting ready to leave

"Yes, Mr. Cullen?"

"Miss. Swan, I need the sales figures for our last quarter," Mr. Cullen's voice echoed in the room.

"Now? It's after six and I was just about to leave for the day."

"And?"

"Right away, Mr. Cullen."

Sighing, I sat back down at my desk and turned my computer back on, knowing he had purposely waited until now to ask me just to be an ass. It had been six hours since our conversation in his office and in those six hours of constant calls, orders, and demands, I realized I preferred being treated like I was invisible. I acted perfectly professional around him, refusing to let his words in his office affect me… on the outside at least.

I printed the figures and scurried over to the printer to retrieve it. I was just about to take it to him, when my phone rang. I leaned over the desk to pick it up, "Yes, Mr. Cullen?"

Silence.

"Hello?" I heard him clear his throat. "Mr. Cullen?"

"Could you bring me a coffee?"

I don't know why he bothered asking like it was a question. I couldn't exactly say no, could I?

"Black?" I guessed. His coffee choice hadn't changed much since I started.

"Yes please." The line went dead.

I detoured to the coffee pod, quickly trying to pour him the drink when my phone rang… again.

"For god's sake," I mumbled under my breath, bending over my desk once again in an attempt to save valuable seconds. "Yes, Mr. Cullen?

Another silence, but not as long this time. "I need those figures, Miss. Swan."

"I was just getting you the -" I stopped trying to explain and just added with an exasperated sigh, "Right away, Mr. Cullen." I saw Mrs. Goff chuckling to herself and rolled my eyes.

I knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.

"I'm waiting for you, Miss. Swan," he called out. "I can't do anything without the information I asked for so there's not much point knocking, is there?"

"As you requested, _Sir_." I glared at him and set the figures down on his desk.

"And my coffee?" he asked as I turned to walk away.

"I was just trying to get your coffee when you ordered me in here with those," I hissed.

"Are you not able to do two things at once?"

"Unbelievable," I said under my breath.

Mrs. Goff was now laughing and I grabbed the damned coffee and hurried back inside.

"Thank you, Miss. Swan," he said, taking a drink with his eyes fixed firmly on his laptop screen. "That will be all."

I left without another word, but just as I reached the door I glanced back over my shoulder and caught him looking at me with the tiniest hint of a smile on that simply beautiful face of his.

_Asshole._

**Edward…**

_Shit, I just loved watching her walk away… and bending over… and when she was angry… Fuck._

* * *

**A/N **

**Thank you so much to everyone for reading, reviewing, pimping, alerting etc. It's not Sunday I know but I caved to peer pressure! More to come hopefully this weekend!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I own nothing but I think we knew that already!**

**Kitty and Mary have been amazing as ever this week!**

**Earlier than planned but I was harassed!**

**Chapter 5**

"You're on your own from tomorrow," Mrs. Goff told me as I prepared everything for the usual morning debrief.

"What?" I asked in horror. "You're leaving so soon? You can't leave!"

She shook her head. "I'm not leaving; in fact I've been persuaded to stay on a little longer. Mr. Dwyer's assistant has taken ill and might not be back for a while, so I was asked to cover for her temporarily. I'll just be a phone call away, Bella."

I sighed in relief. "I thought you meant you were _leaving_ leaving—I almost had a coronary."

Mrs. Goff dismissed me with a wave of her hand. "Bella, you are doing just fine on your own. I'm spending more of my day reading than I am showing you the ropes. Honestly, if this other position hadn't presented itself, I think this would have been my last few days."

I had been under this lovely lady's wing for almost three weeks and despite the fact I knew the job well, I still thought being left to my own devices was a pretty terrifying prospect.

Edward Cullen was still… well he was still Edward Cullen. Completely perplexing, frustrating, and mesmerising in every way, and he still made it clear he had no time for me. I kept my head down, worked hard and efficiently and gave him no reason to be anything other than professional.

_He was still an asshole-ish cockhead, of course._

Alice, Jessica, and the rest of the office made no secret that they had nothing good to say about me. They did their very best to make my life difficult, today being no exception. The daily meeting was just about to wrap up, when Mrs. Goff decided to tell them about her moving departments to work for Phil. Jessica clearly saw this as the perfect opportunity to very obviously and publicly belittle me.

"You have to stay, Mrs. Goff," she pleaded with her. "With all due respect to Mr. Dwyer and what he's managed to achieve with D.D.H, employing his daughter to take on such a fundamental role was not his wisest decision. Don't you agree, Mr. Cullen?"

The others hummed and nodded in agreement and Mrs. Goff looked mortified. I shook my head, my confidence shot to hell just like that. Edward was standing with his back to me and said nothing in support of my ability, choosing, instead to stare out of the window.

_Thanks for your help there, Buddy._

"I really don't think there was any need for that-" Mrs. Goff started to intercede but she was interrupted.

"Miss. Swan, Mrs. Goff," Edward said without turning around. "Would you give us a minute?"

I walked from the office without a word and almost carried on past my desk with the intention of going right out of the building. Mrs. Goff noticed and ordered me to sit down while she made me a coffee.

"Can you believe she had the audacity to say such a thing?" Mrs. Goff shook her head. "How dare she say that after you covered for that rapidly expanding ass of hers?"

The ass-covering that Mrs. Goff was referring to was a major screw up by Jessica. I suppose actually, for any normal boss the screw up wouldn't be that huge, but we didn't work for any normal boss… we worked for Mr. Edward Cullen and with that guy forgetting your pen was a monumental fuck up.

There was a particular manuscript he had wanted to read and told Jessica to bring it to him by the end of the day. Jessica being Jessica had gotten distracted by something else and completely forgotten. I found her crying in the bathroom just a few minutes before her deadline.

I asked her what was wrong, and in amongst disgusting snot-sobs, she told me that she'd forgotten to make her notes on the manuscript and if she didn't give it to Edward today she was fucked, but if she gave it to him without her notes she was also fucked.

Why I did it, I had no idea given the fact she'd been nothing but a bitch to me, but I took the blame for her. I told her to go home and get it done for the following morning and she raced from the bathroom without actually saying thank you.

When Mr. Cullen asked where the manuscript was as I was preparing to leave, I let him believe I had misplaced it after Jessica had handed it to me. I expected a verbal-bashing, a torrent of insults to reiterate his point that I had no business being here, but to my surprise I got none. He did slam the door, rattling the partition, but that I could handle.

Jessica had the manuscript on my desk early the next morning, again without a word of thanks and I told Mr. Cullen I'd simply misfiled it. After that she continued to be just as rude as before, and I really regretted taking the fall for her.

Mrs. Goff and I tried to discreetly listen to what was being said in the office. I could tell there were definitely raised voices… or raised voice… Edward's voice, but we couldn't make out what he was saying. After five minutes or so, everyone besides Jessica emerged looking particularly sheepish.

"Miss. Swan," Edward barked standing in the doorway.

"Yes, Mr. Cullen?" I asked nervously.

"Come inside and take a seat, Miss. Stanley has something she wishes to say to you."

Jessica was bright red and judging by her thunderous expression, I doubted what she was being forced to say was actually what she really wanted to say.

"Miss. Stanley?" Edward looked to her impatiently when she didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"I couldn't hear what you just said, could you say it again?" I asked innocently and saw Edward smile, although he quickly disguised it.

"I said, _I'm sorry,"_ she said, louder this time. "It was wrong of me to say what I did, especially in front of everybody. It won't happen again."

"Okay," I told her. "Let's just forget about it."

I stood to leave, but Edward shook his head. "Miss. Stanley you can leave now—just tell Mrs. Goff to hold all my calls for a few minutes."

"Yes, Mr. Cullen," Jessica said like a scolded school kid and hurried out of his office paying extra care not to slam the door.

I waited for him to say something, but for what seemed like hours, he didn't say a word. Every time I looked in his direction, he was standing in the same position with his hands stuffed into his pockets, one leg crossed over the other as he leaned against the window, his eyes fixed on me.

"Did you want to talk to me about something?" I asked eventually, unable to stand the silence anymore.

I watched as he stood up straight and slowly walked across the office to sit beside me at the table—still his eyes were on me, carefully studying my face.

"Why did you do it?" he asked, his voice was softer than I had ever heard it.

"Do what?" I had no idea what he was referring to. "I'm not sure I understand?"

He laughed once and leaned forward resting his arms on the table. "I'm not oblivious to what goes on in this department, Miss. Swan. It's my job to know everything that's happening and I know you didn't accidently or temporarily _misplace_ that manuscript, I know you covered for Jessica and I want to know why."

"Oh, why did I do _that_?" I looked down, my fingernails scratching at the fabric on my skirt and saw our legs were almost touching. "Maybe I thought doing a nice thing for someone might make people see there's more to me than just Phillip Dwyer's spoiled kid. Your expectations of me are low as it is, so if I happened to screw up one more time I assumed it wouldn't surprise you. I also thought that if after doing it, I found one person in this office who can actually tolerate me, maybe just maybe, the ten hours I spend here every single day might be a little more bearable. Not that it made a difference of course, because she didn't bother to thank me and I'm still despised by just about everybody." I didn't dare look up because I could feel him still staring at me.

"Don't do it again," he said. "If people are screwing up I want to know about it."

"Okay." My voice was scratchy and I felt ridiculous for letting him see that this place was getting to me.

"And if anybody in this office… or any office for that matter is anything but respectful to you, I want to know straight away."

I lifted my head, looking him right in the eye. "Are you kidding me?"

"What?"

"You're such a hypocrite!" I hissed, still he looked puzzled.

"I don't follow?"

"You're telling me that it's perfectly okay for _you_ to judge and disrespect me but not anybody else?" I blew out my cheeks. "I can fight my own battles, Mr. Cullen. I don't need a knight in shining armour to come and rescue me and especially not one who would much prefer it if I didn't exist."

"Bella, I didn't mean to offend you. I was just-"

"Save it for someone who gives a shit." I stood up, resisting the urge to hit him. "Unless there's anything else?"

He shook his head once. "No."

"Then I have work to do."

TBMOA

"Hey, Bella!" Emily grinned widely as she approached my desk.

I'd been expecting her to arrive, she had a meeting with Edward, one that he'd had me bring forward and put back more times than I could count.

"How's it going without Mrs. Goff?"

"It's okay." I shrugged. "I'm always busy so the days pass quickly, but it's a little too quiet. I think I'm going to start talking to myself soon."

Workwise, I was handling the role perfectly well. I made sure everything was done on time and just as he liked it. I was still being treated like a pariah by everyone on this floor; including Edward. The closest we came to engaging in any conversation had been a few short barks from him down the telephone.

"That's too bad," Emily said with a sympathetic smile. "If you want, we can go to lunch together? I take mine around noon if that works for you?"

"Yeah, it does. Thanks, Emily." I grinned and then immediately groaned as Edward swung open the door to his office with a scowl on his face.

"Our meeting started three minutes ago, Miss. Young," he snapped and waited impatiently for Emily to follow him. "Or is your conversation with Miss. Swan more important?"

"Sorry, Mr. Cullen, I was just making lunch plans with Bella." Emily wasn't nearly as intimidated by him as others. As long as she knew what coffee he was drinking, she knew exactly how to handle him—I hated that. "Come on then, let's get on with it."

I laughed to myself as he gave her a strange look and then closed the door. The phone rang almost straight away. "Hello, Mr. Cullen's office?"

"It's Bree, put me straight through."

I stuck my tongue out at the telephone. "I'm very sorry, Ms. Tanner, but Mr. Cullen is in a meeting at the moment. Can I ask him to call you as soon as he's available?"

"No, don't bother I have his cell number. I don't know why he insists I come through his assistant," she muttered and I smiled to myself.

_I knew it!_

"Okay, well I will let him know you've called," I kept my voice sweet and polite, but the line just went dead.

I may, or may not, have forgotten to pass on the message about Bree calling… what can I say, it just slipped my mind.

I was a few minutes late for lunch, and when I arrived in the cafeteria Emily was sitting alone with the table in front of her covered in travel brochures.

"Planning a trip?" I asked, trying to clear some room for my lunch.

"Several as a matter of fact." She winked. "I'm going backpacking in Europe."

"Really? Wow, Emily, that's amazing." I said, genuinely interested. "Where and with who?"

"Alone and I haven't decided on the where yet." She pointed to the mass of brochures and sighed. "How can I possibly decide? There's just so much I want to see. Where would you go?"

With a smile I said, "Well, for starters I'd have to go to Stratford, England and see where Shakespeare lived, see what inspired him to create classic stories that still seem relevant after so many years. After that, I don't know… I guess I'd just choose places that have something there that interests me."

"Like?" Emily pressed.

"Like… Italy—I'd love to see the Vatican and the Coliseum, the ruins of Pompeii. There's so much history there, so many things to see and do."

"I never took you for a girl who admired historical places and read Shakespeare." She looked at me with a grin and I rolled my eyes.

"Just because I grew up around money and enjoy nice things doesn't make me an airhead Barbie doll." Strangely enough, people's perspective of me never used to matter. I never gave a damn if they thought I was a spoiled brat without the ability to read and write… but now that was definitely not the case. Now, for the first time I wanted to rid myself of the stigma of being Phil Dwyer's kid, I wanted to leave my own mark. "Just because I like drinking champagne and buying nice clothes doesn't mean I'm the person everybody thinks I am."

"So I see," she said kindly. "I think you're cool, Bella. I don't care if you wear Jimmy Choo's or a pair from the bargain bins at Walmart, but I do freaking love some of the shoes you've worn!"

"They're my weakness," I admitted. "I think I could fund your trip around the world single-handedly if I sold just half of them. You can come over and wear them anytime you like, I may be a total shoe-whore, but I share!"

She burst out laughing and our conversation reverted back to her trip. As Emily and I chatted about all the places she could visit, I found a different side to my personality revealing itself. I adored Amber and Carmen, and I would do absolutely anything for them, but if I started talking about Shakespeare, Austen, Bronte, or anything unrelated to shopping or sex they'd tell me to be quiet. The closest I'd ever get to talking literature with them would be to bring up Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, and even then they would have no idea who he was or where he came from. That would be another place I'd love to see… it had to be something special to inspire all those magical stories-

"Bella?" Emily waved her hand in front of my face and smirked. "Where did you go?"

"Denmark," I said, grinning and then checked my watch. "I need to get back. I'm not Mr. Cullen's most favourite person as it is so I can only imagine his reaction if I'm late."

"He must think something of you," Emily said quietly, walking with me to the elevators. "Everyone's talking about how he chewed Jessica's ass off for dissing you in that meeting. Apparently he really went to town on her in front of the entire department."

"What did he say?" I asked.

"Jake and Seth are big buddies with Colin and he said that Mr. Cullen told her she should be ashamed of herself for making assumptions about a person when she hadn't even bothered to take the time to get to know her in the first place."

"He's such a goddamn hypocrite," I growled. "He infuriates me. I swear to God I could hurt him sometimes."

Emily laughed. "Do I detect some tension of the sexual kind?"

"Absolutely not!" I lied. "Mr. Cullen has made his feelings for me perfectly clear and he certainly didn't take any time to get to know me."

"But you'd still get naked with him on the desk in his office?" she asked with a cheeky wink.

_Now that would be quite something…_

"Trust me, Emily. That will never happen." _Again._

"Didn't you ever think he might just be an ass with you because he likes you?" she asked.

"Well, if that's the case then I suppose he would also like Jess, Alice, Seth, Jake, and Colin to name just a few other people who he is also an ass with. I just get the brunt of his assholeishness because I sit right outside his office."

She thought about what I said and then laughed. "Yeah, maybe I was off base a little."

_But I wish you were right._

We arranged to meet up again the following day, and it felt great to have someone to talk to besides Mrs. Goff.

As I worked that afternoon, my mind kept coming back to lunch with Emily. Even though I knew there was no chance of me ever doing it, I still wondered what it might be like. No luxury hotels, no typical touristy destinations and no idea what country you could end up in next.

I kicked myself for not doing something like that when I had the chance. "Talk about a missed opportunity," I said to myself glumly; wondering if realistically, I'd ever get the chance to do it again.

As the end of the day approached, I was still daydreaming as I got on with my jobs and Edward was working in his office. I had no meetings scheduled for Edward, so when the elevator doors opened I had no idea who it could be.

"Afternoon, Isabella," Royce King said in his very charming tone as he walked over to my desk.

"Hello, Mr. King," I said politely. "I'm sorry, do you have a meeting with Mr. Cullen?"

"No, I'm here unannounced and please call me Royce," he said smiling at me. "I just thought I'd come and see how things were here on the fifteenth floor."

"Oh." I looked into Edward's office, but he hadn't noticed Royce's arrival. "Things are good. Busy but good."

I stood up to pull an author's file that Edward had asked for and Royce followed me over to the filing cabinet. I could feel him staring at me, his eyes running up and down my body as I rifled through, trying to find the right one.

"I know it's difficult for you to fit in. I had exactly the same thing when Rosalie first got me a job here, but just take no notice, Isabella. It boils down to jealousy—they want what you have and the sooner you realise you can never mix with those kind of people, the sooner it will stop bothering you." He placed his hand on the small of my back—his fingers splayed out just above my ass and I stiffened.

"I don't buy that." I shook my head and turned away, breaking the contact. "I don't think they're jealous at all, just wary that I can use my relationship with Phil to make things happen."

"There's nothing wrong with using your connections to get you places," he said casually. "Look out for number one, Isabella. I do and to hell with everybody else."

"Then I guess you and I are very different." I smiled and tried to step around him, but he turned to me, blocking my path. "Excuse me, I need to get back to work."

"You're quite something aren't you? Cullen's a lucky man getting an assistant like you." He pushed a rogue strand of hair from my face, his fingers brushing against my neck—lingering for far too long and I leaned as far away from him as I could. "What I wouldn't give to get you working for me. We'd have much more fun."

"Then it's probably a good thing I'm not your assistant. Please let me past."

"Only if you let me take you out tonight?" He held his arm out, stopping me.

I shook my head. "No thank you."

"Why? We're the perfect match."

"I think your _fiancée_ may disagree," I said tightly. "I'm really not interested, Mr. King. Please excuse me."

He didn't move and I didn't know what else to do without causing a scene. I was just about to ask him again when Edward's door opened.

"Is there a problem here, Miss. Swan?" he asked angrily, not his usual angry pissed off self, this was something else. The way he looked between Royce and I… was he jealous?

"No problem, Mr. Cullen," I said, using the opportunity to step around Royce and walk quickly back to my desk.

"Royce, did you need to see me for something or did you just come here to harass Miss. Swan?"

"We were just talking, Cullen, relax." Royce waved his hand dismissively.

"Save the socialising for elsewhere. Miss. Swan has work to do."

"You have a real stick up your ass, Cullen. She's not your property," Royce challenged and then turned to me. "Bye, Isabella, it was nice talking to you."

"Bye Mr. King." I nodded, pretending to focus on my computer. Encouraging Royce was probably not a wise thing to do, but Edward seemed irked at the idea that I was talking to him. That fact alone was enough to make me happy to give him the impression that I was closer to Mr. King than I ever cared to be, because quite frankly he gave me the creeps.

Edward waited for him to leave and then turned to me. "Be careful, Miss. Swan. Royce rarely does anything unless he stands to gain something."

"Who I spend my time with is no concern of yours, Mr. Cullen, you made sure of that on my first day," I said coolly. "And as I said before I can fight my own battles."

He lingered in the doorway for a few seconds and then turned and walked away without another word.

I spent the next few hours wondering why the hell he cared if I spent time with Royce King. It couldn't be a jealousy thing; he'd made it clear enough that he held no interest in me whatsoever. I sighed in relief when the clock approached six, I needed to go home and clear my head.

TBMOA

"Why don't you just let us take you out to dinner?"

Carmen and Amber were currently trying to dissuade me from cooking at home and instead hoping we could go out somewhere. I shook my head as I read through the recipe on my phone.

"Can we at least go out for dinner?" Amber peered into the pan currently bubbling away on our stove. "That looks weird."

"Hey!" I shot her a dirty look. "What happened to you guys being supportive?"

"B, we're all for supporting you… just not eating… what the hell is it?" Carmen pulled a face.

I had to admit my budget attempt at dinner it didn't look great, and in light of my financial situation some of the better quality ingredients had to be replaced with alternative, cheaper options and some had been skipped altogether. My allowance had been stretched thinly as it was, but thanks to a cock up with my pay check I had to make it last me six weeks instead of the four I'd originally thought.

My assumptions about the airhead blonde on reception proved to be accurate after all—she hadn't corrected my name on the personnel file and she had managed to mix up two digits of my bank account number.

I _could_ have gone straight to Phil the second I realized there had been a mistake and used my connection with him to correct the mistake there and then, but I didn't. I followed usual procedure and went through correct channels. Of course that took time so ten days later I still had no money but my pride refused to allow me to ask anyone for any help.

"Do we really have to eat it… whatever it is?" Carmen didn't look impressed.

I ignored their protests and ordered them to go and sit down while I added the finishing touches.

"Ta da!" I danced into the dining room and lifted the lid off the serving dish before scooping a dollop onto each of our plates.

"And what is it?" Amber asked cautiously. "It smells like curry."

"It's a Baked Bean and Chicken Curry." I smiled proudly

My girls feigned enthusiasm and ate it with lots of encouraging commentary. It wasn't winning any culinary prizes but knowing I'd made it from scratch felt pretty damn great. When we'd finished I asked them what they really thought.

"It was surprisingly great, B," Amber told me giving me the thumbs up. "Much better than I thought."

"Yeah, I really liked it," Carmen agreed as she helped herself to another serving. "But I seemed to be missing the chicken in that first portion."

"Hey, me too… I guess you got all the chicken," Amber said to me with a giggle. "And we just got the beans."

"Um… actually…" I admitted sheepishly. "I didn't have enough money to buy the chicken so I just put in an extra tin of beans."

"B, I swear to God if you give me gas I'm gonna freakin' kill you!" Carmen shrieked with a mouthful of food and Amber and I burst out laughing.

"It doesn't matter," I said triumphantly. "Because I made it myself."

"You're different." Amber squeezed my hand. "It's only been like a month and I can totally see how much you're changing, Bella."

I must have given her a worrying look because she backtracked quickly. "I mean in an awesome way, Bella, a really fucking awesome way."

**Edward…**

_He was touching her. Did she like it? Bella and Royce? Not a fucking chance. Bella and me? No chance of that either. Fuck._

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading and for your reviews, alerts etc! Seriously overwhelmed by it!**

**I've been posting teasers in my Facebook group MrsK81 fic if you want to have a look. **

**Next update should be on Sunday… should be!**

**:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to Kitty & Mary for their amazing help and for Kitty's drunken minion attacks! **

**I own nothing of course.**

**Chapter 6**

"Hi, Mrs. Goff." I'd been summoned to Phil's office and Mrs. Goff gave me a friendly smile as I approached her desk. "Phil asked to see me, shall I just go in?"

"Yes, he's expecting you. So, how's Mr. Cullen behaving?" She saw my expression and laughed. "Oh, that bad?"

"He really needs to chill out." I shrugged and headed towards the door to Phil's office. "I'm seriously considering slipping him something in his still-black coffee."

"Still black?" Mrs. Goff grimaced. "You poor thing."

Phil saw me and waved me straight inside. I sat down opposite him and waited, wondering if this was a social chat or if Edward had something to do with it.

"Is something wrong, Phil?"

"No, nothing to worry about, Bella." He smiled. "I just wanted to see how you were getting along?"

_My boss treats me like an irritation, the editing team hate me, and some dimwit got my name wrong and screwed up my pay check so I have absolutely no money and you ask how I'm doing?_

"Fine," I lied. "I'm still trying to pick everything up and Mr. Cullen is very particular, so I'm sure he's had a few things to say about me."

Phil shook his head. "He hasn't as a matter of fact, he doesn't say much about anyone. You should learn from him, Bella. Edward is a very smart man and leagues ahead of everybody else in this business. You'd be surprised what he can teach you."

_If you mean he can teach me multiple orgasms; mind blowing, never before experienced multiple orgasms, then boy he had already._

"I'm sure he can." I rubbed my hands over my face just in case Phil noticed how red it was getting. "I am really busy, Phil, I should get back. Can we do this another time?"

"Nothing else to say, Bella." Phil winked. "I just wanted to make sure you were handling this whole job thing well. Your mother and I understand it's going to be difficult for you, we worry about you, kid. How are the other staff treating you?"

_Jessica is a snide little witch who undermines me every chance she gets and the rest are spineless cowards who haven't got the time of day for me. Oh and Royce King has made his intentions __**very**__ clear if you know what I mean?_

"Really, Phil, everything and everyone is fine." I smiled and stood up. "I should go."

"Sure, Bella. I'm always here if you need to talk." He walked with me to the door. "I know this is tough for you to deal with, but we had our reasons."

"I get it," I reassured him. "And I really am fine, Phil. You, mom, and Charlie needn't worry."

Edward appeared at the edge of my desk just as I sat down. "I could hear your phone ringing from my office, Miss Swan," he snapped. "May I suggest you answer it?"

"I was just with Phil—Mr Dwyer," I told him.

"And you didn't think to have our calls routed to the front desk or to let me know?"

I could have argued with him. I could have told him to go fuck himself but I didn't. I could also have called Phil and tell him just how nasty his prized acquisition was, but I didn't. Instead I decided to suck it up and deal with it on my own.

"Sorry, Mr. Cullen," I mumbled. "Can I get you something?"

"Arrange a meeting with Eric Yorkie's agent and make these adjustments to his offer and then have it couriered tonight." He pushed a list towards me. "Then get Seth to bring me what he has so far on the assignment I gave him last week. I also need coffee."

"Anything else?" I gritted my teeth.

"You can go downstairs and bring me a sandwich from the deli across the street—I won't have time to go out for lunch." He was doing it on purpose, making my life hell so I'd walk away and make it easier for him.

_Well you're shit out of luck, buddy. _

"Right away, Mr. Cullen," I said sweetly and he turned and strode away.

I called Seth and told him Mr. Cullen needed to see him and pulled the contracts ready to make the adjustments. When Seth arrived Edward came out of his office to meet him, I was just heading to the elevator to get his sandwich.

"My coffee?"

_Oh, shit his coffee._

"I was just going to get your sandwich, Mr. Cullen." I had to go now or they wouldn't have the sandwich he always ate. Surely the asshole knew that?

"I need my coffee, Miss Swan." He looked unimpressed, but I was seething.

"Mr. Cullen, the deli stops selling your favourite sandwich at 10am, and unless you've decided to branch out and try something different, which I highly doubt, I have to go now or you won't be eating _anything_ at lunch." I know I shouldn't have done it, I knew he'd write it up as insubordination or something else Phil would hate, but the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "If you're so desperate for coffee, may I suggest you take that cute little ass over there and pour one for yourself, maybe even offer Seth one—it can be your good deed for the day. "

Seth almost choked and Edward looked... well he didn't react at all and I braced myself for a verbal bashing. However, he said nothing; he just walked over to the coffee pod and poured himself _and Seth_ a coffee.

_Well fuck me sideways._

It was after 10am by the time I reached the counter in the deli and I had to beg and plead with the server to make just one more of the Breakfast Specials that my boss seemed to like so much.

"Please, please, please," I begged the young girl. "If I don't I'm going to get my ass chewed so much I won't be able to sit down for a month. My boss hates me enough already and I _need _this job or I shudder to think what my parents are going to do-"

"Okay, okay!" She held up her hands. "Stop talking and I'll make you one."

I grinned triumphantly. "Thank you so much."

"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure you get here before ten tomorrow morning. Or tell your boss to take a walk and fetch his own lunch."

_Like that was ever going to happen!_

Seth was gone by the time I was back from the deli and Edward's mood was even worse than before. He took his sandwich from me silently and then remained in his office, telling me not to disturb him under any circumstances. The silent treatment doubled ten-fold after the coffee incident and continued for the rest of the day.

Once again, Bree Tanner called and once again Edward took her call happily. I looked down at the phone, wondering if there was any way I could listen in. I was still considering it when another thought came to mind. I opened _Google_ and typed in her name. I got an instant hit and almost fell off my chair.

Bree Tanner, the alluring voice I'd heard over the phone was actually an alias for Angela Weber, the fifty year old former prostitute come, club owner who had turned her memoirs into best sellers and made millions. She was currently under contract with Edward's former employers but according to her blog, she was looking for new representation. I had to hand it to her, she had a young sexy voice and I guessed that was precisely why Edward had insisted her call come through me.

_Sneaky little shit. Guess I'm not as invisible as he'd like me to think._

That night as I left work, I made a stop on my way home to buy something I could use the following day, because two could play his sneaky little game.

TBMOA

"He _so_ likes you!" Carmen giggled as I told her.

"I wouldn't say _likes_ me, I think I just get under his skin," I said, hating that the idea of him feeling something for me made me stupidly giddy.

"Come off it," Carmen disagreed. "He's an ass to you, he tried making you jealous by using an old hooker he worked with to make out she was his girlfriend, and he got all possessive when you talked to that slime ball Royce King."

_Could he actually like me? Then why be an ass?_

"It's just playground tactics." Amber shuffled closer to me on the couch so we could all get underneath the comforter while we watched television. "Nasty boy pushes girl down and pulls her pigtails because he secretly wants to hold her hand."

"Yes!" Carmen said excitedly. "That's totally it, Bella!"

"Or nasty boy pushes girl and pulls her pigtails because she irritates him and he wants to make her cry. Or, nasty boy turns out to be Charles Manson or Jack the Ripper later in life and girl should count herself lucky to have survived." I laughed. "Come on, guys, he's just showing me that he doesn't give a shit and that it was just one night."

"Are you really sure about that?" Carmen pressed. "That speech he gave you might be why he _wants_ to dislike you but it doesn't mean he actually does. Then there's the fact you're his boss's daughter, he probably has no idea how to act around you without saying or doing something to fuck up."

"Just put out some feelers," Amber suggested.

"Like what?" I sighed.

"Flirt with guys in the office when you know he'll be watching. Men hate that shit, it brings out their possessive, inner caveman side," Amber said and Carmen nodded eagerly.

"Inner caveman side?" I raised my eyebrows questioningly. "I can't see him losing his cool at work."

"You won't know unless you try, will you?" Carmen nudged me playfully. "Besides, flirting is a lot of fun—even if nothing happens. It's nice to be flirted with."

"You're just a pathological flirt, Carmen," I told her and she just grinned knowingly.

"Talk about the cute guy in the deli and how he gives you free stuff because he wants you to go out for coffee," Amber continued, again getting enthusiastic nods from Carmen.

"That won't work. It's a girl at the deli," I told her.

"He doesn't have to know that." Amber laughed. "You said yourself he always sent Mrs. Goff before you. Nothing wrong with a little white lie."

"Yes do that, Bella!" Carmen agreed emphatically. "If he reacts you know that he's totally into you and if he doesn't…"

"And if he doesn't?" I asked glumly.

"Um…" Carmen looked to Amber for help.

"If he doesn't then fuck him," Amber scoffed. "And go out to dinner with Royce King. I remember him from the barbecue we went to last year—he was cute."

"And engaged." I shook my head. "Not to mention creepy."

"Then we'll find you a suitable replacement. You never know, Bella, it might be the forbidden fruit thing that has you all up in knots about him." Amber squeezed my hand. "You said yourself he's an asshole."

_An asshole who makes me feel something I just can't quite explain._

"Let's just watch this movie and not talk about Mr. Cullen, it's bad enough I have to deal with his sulky ass every day at work—thinking about him at home is exhausting."

As much as I tried to persuade them _and myself_ otherwise, I wondered if what they thought could be true. Even if it was just the slightest, most miniscule chance, it had to be better than him despising me, right?

I decided to test the water, just put out some feelers like Amber suggested and see exactly what game he was playing and in the interest of saving time I'd make a start the next morning.

TBMOA

"You didn't do that?" I squealed with laughter. "That is so funny."

"Right?" Seth agreed with a smirk. "It came from my toes, Bella!"

I glanced into Edward's office as discreetly as I could and sure enough he was watching and he was not a happy bunny.

_Result!_

"Then what happened?" I asked eagerly, ordinarily I would have been a little less enthusiastic with Seth's story about belching when he was out to dinner with his girlfriend, but Edward was watching so I flirted it up just a tad.

"I expected her to get up and walk out but she threw one right back at me. Hands down, Bella, no one has ever done that. It was my trusted system whenever things were starting to get too serious. I'd take them out, act like a total pig and then they'd usually dump me quicker than I could eat my appetiser. So when that happened and she belched right back, I knew. She was the one."

"That is sweet in the most weird and disturbing way ever," I told him. "We will never eat out together… ever, Seth."

"Aw that's too bad, Bella," he joked. "Hearing you do that would have been like foreplay."

It was at that very moment that Edward opened the door, catching only that very last sentence with my name and foreplay… perfection!

"Did you want to see me for something, Seth?" he asked stiffly. "Miss Swan is easily distracted, so please don't encourage her."

"I just dropped these off," Seth gestured to the art boards leaning against my desk, totally unfazed by Edward. "You should lighten up, Mr. C."

I stifled a laugh as he sauntered off to the elevators leaving a very unhappy Mr. Cullen glaring after him. As Seth had disappeared, it was on me that he turned the death glare.

"Can I help you with something, Mr. Cullen?"

"I'll need my lunch," he barked. "But it looks like you'll have to find another deli that sells a similar sandwich because it's almost noon."

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Cullen," I said smugly. "I bought one for you on my way into work this morning. You owe me ten bucks and you'll find it in the refrigerator by the coffee pod whenever you're ready to eat it. There's also a can of Pepsi if you want it? The server gave it to me on the house if I promised to go back and see him tomorrow. I think he's trying to pluck up the courage to ask me out on a date. Sweet, huh?"

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, handing me a ten dollar bill without a word and I giggled to myself as he slammed the door to his office. I'd paid for the drink but the look on his face was more than worth it.

"And that's how it's done," I said to myself, stuffing the money into my purse. "You're not as unaffected as you want me to think."

I continued with my plot to get under his skin as soon as he sat back at his desk. I rummaged around in my purse, took out my purchase from the day before and, I knocked excitedly on Edward's door.

"Yes?" he said impatiently.

I burst inside and thrust the book in his face. "I knew I recognised the name!"

"I don't follow, Miss Swan?" he lied. I knew he was lying he was almost blushing and he couldn't look at me. "Why are you showing me that book?"

"You've been taking calls from Bree Tanner and I _knew_ I recognised that name, I just couldn't figure out why. I got home yesterday and saw my roommate reading this and it clicked. Amber was so excited and she begged me to get an autograph for her the next time you see her. You did it on purpose didn't you?"

Edward looked momentarily panicked. "Did what on purpose?"

"You had her call me so I could speak to Bree Tanner didn't you?"

"I don't have time for this, Miss Swan." He looked at his computer screen, but he was not as cool as he wanted me to think. "I'm simply trying to negotiate a deal with Bree when her current one expires. I had her calls come through you so it would be above board."

"I get it." I giggled.

"Get what?" Panicking again—I could hear it in his voice.

"You and she… you're um… involved. That's why you have her call here—so people aren't suspicious. I didn't take you for a guy who likes older women, but hey I'm not going to judge." I smiled at him, loving how much I was flustering him. "Don't worry, I won't say a word… as long as you get me that autograph."

"I'm not involved with Bree Tanner!" he said angrily. "She's simply a client and I only had her call your line so you thought… I mean to… um… so…"

"It was all above board?" I finished for him smugly and then changed my tone so he knew I was no fool. "Sure you did, Mr. Cullen. I'm not stupid and you might want to remember that."

I turned and walked from the office. "Miss Swan, you forgot your book."

"Not my kind of thing, Mr. Cullen," I said without looking back. "You might like it. It's all about powerful men trying to maintain one image when they're really something else instead. I'm going for my lunch I'll be back in an hour."

_Miss Swan – 1, Mr. Cockhead – 0!_

When I returned from lunch, the book was back on my desk along with a list as long as my arm of menial jobs he needed doing, all of which would take me well past my finish time and Mr. Cullen didn't even cast a glance in my direction for the rest of the day.

_So much for being jealous._

_Damnit._

I got my head down and worked as quickly as I could and had just about finished only ten minutes after six. I just had to take Edward his manuscripts before I left and as I reached for the pile that the editing team were finished with the one sitting on the top of the rejection pile caught my eye. Without thinking, I skimmed over the first chapter and soon found I was unable to stop reading.

"Miss Swan?" Edward's voice made me jump. "It's almost eight."

"Shit." I scooped up the manifests and walked towards his office. "Sorry, I got engrossed reading one. I just lost track of time."

"You aren't paid to read manuscripts, Miss Swan." He shook his head. "And that particular manuscript is one that has been rejected if I'm not mistaken. I suggest you put that back with the rejections and leave the decisions about what we are going publish to those who actually know what they're talking about."

"I liked it, and the first few lines had me laughing." I shrugged. "I just spent the best part of two hours unable to stop reading it. Sure, there are things that could be done to improve it, but it's different, funny, and well thought out."

"Like I said, that is not your job and-"

"And I have no idea what I'm talking about, right?" I rolled my eyes. "I know you think that my reading library consists of Cosmo or Vogue, but you have no idea. I'm not the dumb spoiled kid you think I am, and if you'd bothered to get to know me you'd have realised that before now."

I slammed the manuscript onto the desk and stormed out of the office, dreaming up ways to publicly humiliate Edward Cullen.

_Asshole._

As I stepped off the elevator, I growled in frustration—my bag was still upstairs. Reluctantly I rode all the way back up to the office and tried to make sure I didn't disturb Mr. Cockhead. I crept over to my desk and grabbed my bag from the floor. Just as I was about to walk away I heard him chuckle so I turned around and looked into his office. Edward was sitting with his feet up on the desk, a coffee in in one hand and a manuscript in the other. I'd never seen him so relaxed and dare I say… happy.

I watched him for a few minutes, amazed at the difference in him. Trying to figure this man out was giving me whiplash and yet I couldn't help myself.

I was still thinking about him when I arrived at work the next morning, and as I approached my desk I had to do a double-take. Sitting on the top of the manuscripts Edward had read last night was the one I'd read… the red "Rejection" stamp had been crossed out and replaced with _Accepted_.

_Well, what about that… he listened._

**Edward…**

_She was right. That manuscript… it was good… huh, surprising. She always manages to surprise me and she had me nailed on with Bree. She knew I was playing games and playing them badly. Shit, I just can't stop thinking about her. Fuck._

* * *

**So, Bree is a fifty year old hooker!**

**Thanks as always for reading and for all your reviews, Mr. Cockhead is ruffling plenty of feathers that's for sure LOL.**

**Thanks again and see you on Sunday… probably. And in the meantime, I will post a teaser from the next chapter in my group on FB… MrsK81 Fic. **

**Katy**

**x **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Thanks to the amazing Kitty and Mary for all their help and endless patience with my neurotic tendencies! There is now a banner for this fic made my the lovely Loopylou :)**

**Chapter 7**

"Come on, Bella, get a move on!" Carmen yelled through my bedroom door. "What's taking so long?"

I opened the door and glared at her. "Hey, I got in from work an hour ago. You had all day to get ready. I'm going as quickly as I can."

It was the first time I'd been out with Amber and Carmen since the night I met Edward and the only reason I was going out at all was to celebrate my first ever pay check. The satisfaction I got when it finally hit my bank was staggering and the girls insisted we hit the town.

As I did my hair and makeup, it felt different, more rewarding somehow. Almost like I'd earned the right and I was looking forward to this night out more than any I could remember before. I saw my favourite blue dress hanging in my closet and remembered what had happened the last time I wore it. With a rueful shake of my head I pushed it aside and picked out a pair of skinny jeans and an off the shoulder green silk top.

When I agreed to go out, I assumed that it would have been on the Friday or Saturday night, but that wasn't the case. Amber and Carmen were planning a shopping trip to New York over the weekend, and as going with them was out of the question, we had to go out on a work night instead.

"Finally!" Carmen said as I emerged from my bedroom. "You look cute, Bella."

I smiled, it felt good to be in something other than pant suits and pencil skirts. Even though I was looking forward to this, I was still mindful that I had to keep a clear head. "You remember I have to work tomorrow, right?"

"Sure we do. One glass of champagne to toast your first pay check and then it's non-alcoholic cocktails all night long." Amber winked. "For you anyway."

I insisted on a different club, there was no way I could enjoy myself thinking about what happened the last time. The girls were too relieved that I was finally leaving the apartment to care where we went.

As soon as I walked inside the club, it felt good to be around people who actually liked me. When I was here I was just a normal girl having a good time. The girls and I danced, chatted, and laughed more than I had in ages.

"I have to sit down!" I moaned and gestured to my feet after we'd danced for the better part of an hour. "I'll go and get us a drink, okay?"

"We're right behind you, Bella," Carmen shouted. "As soon as this song is finished."

I was leaning against the bar trying to shift some weight from my poor feet.

"Isabella?"

"Mr. King?" I faked a smile. "Hi."

"It's Royce, yeah?"

I nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"Having a good time, even more so now. What about you? I thought you would have been at your usual haunt."

"How do you know what my usual haunt is?" I felt a little uncomfortable around him and I looked around to see where the girls were.

"Your friend's father owns the chain of clubs, doesn't he?" He laughed. "I just assumed you always went there."

"Well, yeah usually we do, but tonight we wanted a change I guess," I replied casually and waved over the bartender.

"Let me get these," Royce offered and ignored me when I shook my head. "I insist, what are you drinking?"

"Two cosmos and one daiquiri—virgin." I smiled and Royce pulled a face.

"Virgin? Let's make it a real drink, shall we?" He gestured to the bartender.

"Let's not. I have to work tomorrow and we have an important meeting with a client." I told the bartender again what we wanted and Royce laughed.

"He has you on a tight leash."

"Who?"

"Cullen."

"This has nothing to do with Mr. Cullen and everything to do with the fact I need this job." I looked around and saw the girls looking for me. I waved them over in relief. "Thanks for the drinks, Mr. King. It was nice seeing you," I lied and he winked.

"Always a pleasure, Isabella."

I spent the next twenty minutes batting away drunken encouragement that I should go back over to Royce. Apparently he was a total hottie and was totally hot for me… the girls developed the vocabulary of teenagers whenever alcohol entered their system.

"I really should be going," I said, looking at the time. "It's almost eleven."

"Let me just finish this and we'll get our coats." Carmen gulped back her drink.

I was just about to stand up when a server appeared with a tray of drinks. "Courtesy of the gentleman at the bar." She indicated with her head to someone behind her, but I couldn't see who it was. "Apple Martini's for you all."

"Thank you," Amber said with a giggle and tried to see who had sent the drinks over. "Was it Royce King?"

She shrugged. "He didn't give me his name and I didn't ask. As long as he pays I don't care."

"Tall, dark, and cute?" Carmen pressed and the server nodded. "Seriously cute?"

"Definitely," she said dramatically. "I wouldn't be kicking him out of bed anytime soon."

"Neither would I," Carmen told her and then turned to me. "It was totally from Royce, Bella."

I craned my neck around her, but Royce was nowhere to be seen near the bar. "Nope, it looks like he left."

"Hey, if the guy's still around, would you tell him to come over so we can thank him in person?" Amber asked the server and then winked.

"I'll be sure to tell him that." She handed us each a glass, a different colour umbrella in each. "He was specific about the drinks; he obviously gave you a lot of thought. Red for the fiery redhead, yellow for the pretty blonde, and green for the beautiful brunette to match her shirt."

"He told you to say that?" I asked. "That's really lame." The server laughed and sauntered away.

"Cheers, ladies." Amber raised her glass and eyed mine dubiously. "Come on, Bella, one more won't hurt."

"Yeah, I guess it won't," I agreed and we clinked our glasses.

I also let the girls persuade me to have one final dance before we left and it was while we were dancing that I started to feel weird. The room began to sway and my legs felt unsteady. I tapped Amber on the shoulder.

"I need to go home, Amber," I said, hearing the slur in my voice. "I don't feel good."

"Wow, Bella, one month as a teetotaler and you lose all your tolerance for alcohol." She laughed.

"Five more minutes, Bella," Carmen asked me, but I shook my head.

"I need to go. If you want to stay I'll just see you guys at home." I started to walk away alone but was immediately flanked by my friends who took hold of my arms.

"What kind of friends would we be if we left you alone in this state?" Carmen kissed my cheek.

"Come on you lightweight," Amber teased and we left the club together.

By the time we got back home I felt terrible. The room was now spinning, I was barely able to stand up and I felt as sick as a dog. I vaguely remembered Amber and Carmen putting me to bed before I had to stagger to the toilet to throw up and I was still lying on the bathroom floor when I woke up almost twelve hours later.

I rubbed my face, feeling if possible, worse than last night. I was confused, felt as sick as hell, and the room was still spinning. It took me a long time to focus on my phone and when I did I noticed the time and screamed.

"Oh fucking shit," I yelled over and over, fumbling around in a blind, disoriented panic trying to dress as quickly as I could.

Within minutes I was out of the apartment, yanking my hair back as I went downstairs. I felt so bad I took a cab to the office and tried not to vomit in the backseat. I raced through the lobby and into the elevators, making the most of the ride up to try and make myself a little more presentable.

When I arrived on my floor my legs were so unsteady I needed to support myself on the wall as I walked to my desk. Thankfully, there was no one else around and Edward's office was empty so he hadn't seen me arrive. I tried to think of a genuine reason why I was late… almost four and a half hours late.

"Shit," I mumbled. "I'm so fired."

I tried to make a start on my work, but I still felt drunk… really, really, really drunk. How could that be possible? I'd only had one drink… hadn't I?

"I'll have a black coffee, Miss. Swan," Edward seemed to materialise from thin air and was now standing in front of my desk. "And may I suggest pouring one for yourself then take a seat in my office."

_Shit, here we go._

My hands were shaking as I poured the drink and the smell turned my stomach. There was no way I could drink one without throwing up. I walked slowly into his office, doing my utmost not to spill his drink and then all but collapsed into a chair.

"This is completely unacceptable!" he yelled, and I mean _yelled_. I cowered in my chair, his voice and the lights in his office resonating in my head making it almost unbearable. "You missed an important meeting, Miss. Swan, and I had to call the client to rearrange."

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice low and shaky.

"Sorry won't cut it if we lose that contract," he continued. "This client is worth millions to this company. You are fortunate that you step-father isn't in the office today because he would be sitting here with me right now while I fired you. He will hear about it, I promise you that."

I wanted to ask him to lower his voice because I thought I was going to pass out from the pain in my head, but I also felt like I'd throw up if I spoke a single word.

"I was beginning to warm to you and dare I say it, think I might have been wrong about you," he spat. "Now, I've never been more certain of just how predictable you turned out to be."

I started to apologise again, but my stomach heaved and I had to make a dash for the door with my hand clamped over my mouth. There was no chance of making it to the bathroom so I grabbed the trashcan by my desk and threw up, hearing Edward swear loudly as I did.

He only approached me when I was done. "You're a disgrace. I have to be here tomorrow morning to try and appease the client, so you can come in and cover the four hours you've missed today."

I nodded, croaking out a weak, "Yes, Mr. Cullen."

When he'd gone back into his office and I dealt with the mess in the trash can then I sat at my desk and put my head in my hands. Never, in all the times I'd been out drinking, had I felt anything remotely close to this. My entire body was screaming like I'd been hit with a freight train and the nausea was overpowering. With my eyes closed, I had the slightest of reprieves from the incessant throbbing in my head, and I must have fallen to sleep again, because another half an hour had passed when the phone rang on my desk.

"Yes, Mr. Cullen?" I said, hoping he couldn't tell.

"I'd like a tea, if you think you can manage it?"

"Right away," I said but he'd already hung up.

As I prepared his drink, the dizziness was making it difficult to stand and I had to brace both hands on the table, praying I wouldn't pass out.

"Miss. Swan, is there a problem with my tea?"

I turned around to face him, unable to focus on his face. "No, Mr. Cullen, I just need… a… minute." Without the table to support me I started to sway.

"Jesus, Bella." He lunged forward and reached for my arms just as my legs gave way.

TBMOA

When I opened my eyes again I thanked God I wasn't seeing double and the room wasn't spinning, but as I looked around I realised I wasn't at home. Wherever I was I had been before… it was familiar.

"Bella?" Edward's face suddenly came into view and it clicked exactly whose bed I was in.

"Why am I here?" I asked nervously and tried to check if my clothing was still in place.

"It was either that or the emergency room… where I may still insist on taking you." He watched me studiously. "How do you feel?"

"Not great," I admitted, sitting up still fully clothed. "But better than earlier."

"You look better," he agreed.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You tell me," he said icily. "I never took you for a user."

"A what?"

"Bella, I know a bad trip when I see one." He shook his head.

"A bad trip? You can't be serious? I don't do drugs, I've never done drugs." I spat angrily.

"Please, Bella, you were exactly like… I've seen it hundreds of times before." He sat on the edge of the bed. "What did you take?"

I was getting more and more irritated by his presumptions. "Mr. Cullen, I have no idea what you're talking about. I have _never_ taken a drug in my life. Well, I tried a joint once but almost coughed a lung up… and I took some nytol once to help me sleep even though I wasn't sick, but-" He was giving me a peculiar look. "What?"

"You didn't take anything?" he repeated.

"No! I went out with my friends and had one drink." He raised his eyes questioningly, but I ignored him. "One drink, Mr. Cullen, and I was just waiting for my friend to finish hers when… oh, sorry I had two drinks. I forgot about the Apple Martini that guy at the bar sent me."

"What guy?" he asked, his voice tight.

"I can't remember," I shrugged, another memory tugging at the edges of my mind but it was too fuzzy. "I think he sent us all a drink… the server said he'd made some lame attempt to impress us with the umbrellas."

"What?" he asked.

"He gave us all different colour umbrellas I forget what the others were, but mine was green. I remember that because it was the same colour as your... it was green." I was going to say green like your eyes, but stopped that slipping out and I just had to hope he didn't see my blush.

"And you thought accepting a drink from a strange man was a good idea?"

"He bought us all one… are you suggesting he put something in mine? He couldn't have, could he?"

"Your ability to spot risky situations and make smart decisions needs considerable improvement," he said quietly.

"Oh don't I know it. I'm still enjoying the back lash of my last _bad_ _decision_." I glared at him and then stood up. "I need to go to the bathroom."

"It's the second door…" he laughed when I raised my eyebrows. "But I guess you knew that already."

Once inside, I sat on the toilet and put my head in my hands. I had the world's worst hangover and I didn't even get to enjoy the benefits of being drunk. The sleep had certainly helped, but being back here in Edward's hotel suite brought back too many memories.

After washing my face and attempting to tame my inexplicably wild mop of hair, I stepped back out into the bedroom. "I should go," I told him nodding towards the door and trying not to give too much thought to what happened the last time I was here. "Thank you for… um… you know… taking care of me."

"You scared me," he admitted, still sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his legs. "When you passed out I almost called 911, but I didn't think there was any way to keep it from Phil if I did. I've… had to deal with this kind of situation so many times I figured somewhere to sleep it off would be enough."

"You could have taken me home," I told him. "You didn't have to bring me here."

"I didn't know your address and unless you wanted me to call Phil or break into your personnel file, I was out of alternatives." He stood up and took a tentative step towards me. "I managed to wake you up long enough to get you downstairs and to the hotel without looking like I was kidnapping you."

"I'm sorry," I said with a sigh. "I feel like such a fool. So, I just slept?"

"For about," he checked his watch, "Nine and a half hours. I was so angry."

"I know I get it," I raised my hands to him, not wanting another lecture. "It was irresponsible and typical behaviour of the spoiled little girl, blah, blah, blah."

I grabbed my jacket and shoes and headed for the door. Just as I reached for the handle, Edward's hand closed around mine, stopping me.

"I wasn't angry with you, Bella." He sighed, tugging my hand away from the door.

We were standing so close together right beside the very door he'd pinned me against. It seemed like so long ago.

_His mouth… his fingers…_

I swallowed nervously and looked down at the floor. Vivid flashbacks when I was this close to him were not good, not good at all.

"I was angry with myself, Bella." He released my hand. "I should have noticed it straight away. If I'd paid enough attention instead of jumping down your throat, I would have recognised it was more than just a hangover."

"Let's just forget about it." I took a step back, he was just too close and I didn't trust myself not to make a foolish move on him. "I really should go."

"Mm, I suppose your friends are going to be concerned when you don't come home." He nodded, glancing up at my face before looking away again.

"Actually, they're in New York for the weekend. I just meant I've taken enough of your time, Mr. Cullen."

"I think given our… situation… calling me Edward out of the office is perfectly fine." He ran a hand through his hair, and I pictured _my _hands grabbing it, stroking it, and pulling it. "Would you like to have dinner?"

"Dinner?"

"Dinner." He nodded.

"With you?" I asked in shock and he chuckled.

"Yes with me."

_What?_

"I don't think that's such a good idea." I shook my head.

_What?_

"Why not?"

"Because most of the time you treat me like I'm a pesky little fly that hovers around doing nothing of any importance." He tried to object, but I tactfully reminded him of our conversation that first day in his office. "And now you want to take me to dinner. Just like that?"

"I admit I acted rudely," he said with a hint of regret. "But my mind was in turmoil and I had no idea how I should act."

"I get we were in a very uncomfortable situation, but I think there was nothing wrong with being civil to me, Edward. Instead you chose to make me feel like crap and belittle me pretty much every chance you could." I couldn't deny it, the prospect of dinner with him had my heart and very empty and hungry stomach doing cartwheels. "I really need to go. Maybe we can try and be friends in the office, but other than that I think it's best we keep our distance."

"I get why you're angry, Bella, but I'd like to show you that I'm not… I'm not…"

"An asshole?" I countered dryly and he laughed.

"Exactly, I'd like to show you I'm not an asshole." He looked at me hopefully. "So… dinner?"

"Maybe some other time," I said, hating myself for shunning the chance to spend time with him. "Right now I just want to go home."

"At least let me drive you?"

"I live about a mile away from here, Edward," I told him. "And I could do with some fresh air, so I'll walk."

"Then I'll walk with you." He walked over to the closet and pulled out a coat.

I noticed that he was in a pair of old jeans with a UCLA t-shirt and not his usual attire of jacket, shirt, and tie. It was bizarre to see him so casually dressed and it was almost like a totally different Edward.

"It's really not necessary."

"It is necessary." He shot me a disapproving look. "And I won't take no for an answer. Either I drive or we walk together, but you're not going home alone."

"Fine," I mumbled. "Domineering asshole."

He chuckled and held the door open for me. "You're definitely feeling better."

As we stepped out into the hallway, I saw the key card in his hand and I closed my eyes, unable and unwilling to stop the memory that overtook my mind.

"_Shit," he groaned against my mouth. "I can't open the fucking door."_

"_You'd better, because we aren't stopping." I was serious, wild horses couldn't stop me now. _

_I slipped my hand into his opened pants, he cursed again, fumbling desperately with the key with one hand and grabbing my ass with the other. _

"_Fuck, fuck, fuck," he growled. _

_Still we remained on the wrong side of the door, pressed so hard against it, that the likelihood of of breaking it down was quite strong. I lost all my inhibitions, the risk of someone catching us like this, just made it all the more exciting and I slid down his body to my knees, pushing his pants down just enough to let his dick spring free._

"_I told you I wasn't stopping," I said, dragging my nail along the underside of his shaft. "I meant it."_

_The fumbling with the key had stopped and he was looking down at me, almost daring me to do it. So I did…_

I was all hot and bothered by the time we got to the elevator when I was hit with another flashback.

"_Five more floors," he told me and I nodded once. "Maybe it would be an idea to introduce myself?"_

_The doors closed and finally we were alone. I slammed him up against the wall, kissing him. "No time for that," I said against his lips. _

_Any good behaviour we'd maintained down in the lobby had vanished, and when the doors opened to his floor, he walked me backwards into the hallway and down towards his room, not once breaking the kiss. _

"We should have taken the stairs," Edward mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

TBMOA

"So this is you?" Edward said, looking up as we approached our building.

"Yep, this is _Chez Moi_, for now anyway." I sighed.

"For now?"

"When the lease is up I have to pay my share of the rent, which on my salary isn't happening. So, I guess I'll have to find another place." I began to walk away. "Thanks for walking me home."

"Technically I didn't, not yet." He stepped to my side. "Can I come up?"

"Why?" I frowned. "If you think that-"

"I'm not suggesting _that. _I was just thinking, you might have to move out in a few months and I still need to find a place… maybe I can move into your room?" He laughed at my unimpressed scowl. "I just want to make sure you're okay, Bella."

"And check out my facilities," I huffed, making him laugh even more.

Edward out of the office and the bedroom was different. He was easy going, funny, and he loved to laugh. It was all very confusing, because in this situation I thought that he might actually like me.

"So, here we are—Casa Bella. You've seen the laundry room that I've never used, the gym and pool I've never used, and you like the doorman, who I should point out is gay and was totally checking you out all the time we were downstairs. I'm guessing he _really_ hopes you find an apartment here." I nudged Edward playfully as we stopped outside my apartment. "Are you going to leave now, or do I have to put up with you some more?"

"I'm hungry."

"Edward, what are you really doing here?" I asked him quietly. "You're messing with my head."

"I want to be your friend, Bella," he said softly. "That's all."

"Friend?" I scoffed. "Edward you made it clear you don't have time for people like me."

"I was an idiot." He put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I just want to draw a line under what happened between us and start anew."

"Just friends?" I said again, admittedly a little disappointed. Did he not feel what I felt?

"I can be your friend, Bella, but that's all. I can't give you any more than that." He didn't look convinced, or maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part. Either way it had to be better than him ignoring me at every opportunity.

"Friends then." I smiled and it seemed to make him happy.

"Does your apartment take up the whole floor?" He looked around the hallway and I rolled my eyes.

"Obsessed much?" I grumbled and he laughed. "But the answer is no. There are two on this floor and our neighbour is a snooty old hag who basically thinks we're all just a set of sluts."

"Are you?"

"Sluts?" I asked. "Apart from you… I've never had a one night stand before. It's not my kind of thing. What about you?"

"It's happened once or twice," he admitted almost shyly. "Never quite as… intensely as it happened with you."

"It was quite a night." I nodded and a thick silence hung around us.

"So, are we going to eat?" he blurted out randomly. "I could call us a pizza? That's what friends do, right?"

"I'm tired, Edward," I told him. "And I definitely don't think I could eat pizza."

"So let me in and I'll fix you something else." He pointed to the key in my hand. "You haven't eaten all day and I'm not leaving until you do."

"Jeez, who put you in charge?" I grumbled, but opened the door to my apartment. "Kitchen is through those double doors, I'm going to take a shower."

I stood in my bedroom and undressed, thinking about this very different Edward and what he was really doing here. It was giving me a headache on top of my headache so in an attempt to clear my mind I turned on the stereo and put it up as loud as I could. I sang to myself in the shower, refusing to acknowledge that all the time I was naked and wet Edward was only a few feet away.

"Shit," I said to myself when I noticed there was no clean towel in the bathroom.

I listened for Edward but couldn't hear anything over the music. I assumed he'd be waiting for me in the kitchen so I walked into my bedroom dripping wet and still very much naked. I was just reaching for my robe, when Edward walked straight into my room.

"Hey, I've been shouting where's the-"

He froze, his mouth and eyes wide and fixed on my tits. I scrambled to cover my modesty with a shriek at him to turn around.

"Shit, sorry I was shouting but I guess the music… I thought you… shit, sorry." He continued to apologize but forgot to turn around and his eyes definitely didn't look away.

_Just friends my ass. This man is toast._

**Edward…**

_Oh my fucking god she was wet and naked… dripping… wet… Just friends? Never going to be enough. Fuck._

**A/N Should I hide? There was progress at least, no? **

**Thanks for reading, reviewing, alerting, and pimping, I'm so grateful I can't even say… I am going to have to stick to weekly posting now just until I get a few more chapters prewritten. I will post a teaser in the facebook group MrsK81 Fic tomorrow at some point if you want a peek.**

**I'll also be posting a little Christmas multichapter story on the 1****st**** December if you're interested and there's also a little teaser of that up in the FB group!**

**See you next Sunday… maybe!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to Kitty & Mary for their endless patience and help. I own nothing **

**Chapter 8**

After walking in on me very much naked, Edward stuttered and stammered his way out of the apartment. He mumbled something about seeing me at work on Monday morning, but then had to come back to tell me that we had a conference call with the agent of a client at nine the next morning.

I assured him I would be there and even tried to invite him back inside to eat the toasted sandwiches he'd made for us, but he all but ran away. I found it all very amusing and I decided to show him exactly what he would be missing if he insisted on being my _friend_.

After I ate, I crawled into bed and planned what I was going to wear, how I was going to act, and hoped it worked. I fell asleep thinking about Edward and wondering if he was giving me as much thought. I knew I was getting in over my head but I didn't care enough to try and stop myself now.

The next morning my alarm woke me early and I immediately set about getting ready. I knew there would be only a handful of people in the entire building, so I rifled through my wardrobe looking for something extra sexy to torment him that little bit more; figuring there would be nothing he could do about it. I found an almost sheer, sleeveless white, button up blouse and a high-waist grey pencil skirt which was a very snug fit around my ass. I picked out a cute bra that wasn't the most supportive, but wouldn't leave much to the imagination… poor guy. I completed the look with a pair of high-heeled, black patent pumps.

I arrived at the office with plenty of time to spare. Security worked the front desk on a Saturday and with an extra-friendly hello and my sweetest smile, I persuaded the guard on shift to call my desk when Mr. Cullen arrived and asked him to keep quiet about me already being there.

I hung my jacket up and turned on the coffee machine before I sat at my desk. I then checked his schedule, noted which client he was dealing with and pulled all the appropriate files ready for him. A little before 7:30am, the guard rang and informed me that Mr. Cullen was waiting for the elevator. I checked my appearance quickly, poured him some coffee and waited outside the elevator doors. When they opened he was most definitely not expecting me. I tried not to laugh as he almost tripped over his own feet, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Bella?" he spluttered and I saw him look me up and down.

_Like I said… man was toast._

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen," I smiled and held out his coffee, before turning on my heels and walking back to my desk letting my hips sway just that little bit more.

I looked over my shoulder and did a mental fist pump because Edward hadn't moved an inch and his eyes were right where I hoped they'd be… on my ass.

"Something wrong, Mr. Cullen?" I asked innocently but he shook his head.

"No, no," he mumbled and walked towards me.

"The files you need are on your desk and you have some time to review them before the call is due to start. Is there anything else I can get you?" He shook his head, so I took a seat behind my desk and pretended to read some emails.

"Bella?"

I looked up and smiled. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry about last night," he said—eyes on my tits. "I should have knocked or something."

"Don't worry about that," I said rolling my eyes. "It was nothing you hadn't seen before. Thank you for the sandwich, it was delicious."

"So we're… okay?"

"Absolutely," I nodded, resuming the _not_ –reading_ of my emails._ "Friends, remember?"

"Right… yeah… friends."

He didn't move and I was dying to smile. After a few seconds I looked up at him again. "Are you sure there's nothing else I can get for you, Edward?"

"No, nothing, thanks. I'll be in my office if you need me for anything." He rubbed the back of his neck as he walked away and this time I grinned triumphantly.

_Oh, you're noticing me now, huh?_

I worked hard to catch up on the things I'd missed yesterday, and then at precisely nine thirty, I called the author's agent and transferred him through to Edward.

Marcus Aro was the representative for Eric Yorkie, an author who had two company's fighting for the contract to publish his debut novel. I'd read the first few chapters and it was a science-fiction story about warring solar systems. Everyone was excited about it and we were offering an option for a two and three book deal.

I also knew that Edward's former employers—Felix Green—were equally intent on securing the deal and when Demetri, who had replaced Edward, arranged to hold formal talks with Eric Yorkie at eight on Monday morning, Edward had immediately suggested they talk on Saturday morning, giving him almost forty-eight hours to convince both the author and his agent that Denali, Dwyer, and Hale would be the most lucrative choice.

I saw charming, amicable, Edward for the first few minutes, laughing and joking with Marcus, but about ten minutes into the conversation, his demeanour changed and he looked angry. He stood up and waved me into his office.

"It's a clever game you're playing, Marcus." He scribbled down on a piece of paper and held it out to me.

_Bottom drawer of my filing cabinet… the files I brought from Chicago. Pull me the financials._

I nodded and did as he asked as quietly as I could. The call was getting quite tense and I could tell from Edward's responses that Marcus was attempting to pay both publishers off each other to try and earn his client more money.

I handed the file to Edward and he actually mouthed thank you as he flicked through the papers inside looking for something in particular. I pointed to the door, indicating I was leaving, but he shook his head.

I wasn't sure what he needed me for so I walked behind him and looked out of his window, listening to the call unfold.

"I have the figures right here in front of me, Marcus. Either they're lying to you or you're lying to me, because I know for a fact they could not have made that offer. They can't afford that offer, and haven't been able to for quite some time; that's why I left. They do not have the financial support to compete against us. You and I both know the offer we've made is more than generous for a debut and we can provide a far superior marketing campaign." He rubbed his forehead as he listened to Marcus continue to try and raise the stakes. "I will not be drawn into a bidding war with a company I know cannot follow through on the figures you're giving me. You have my final offer and I strongly suggest you persuade your client to accept it. I'll give you until Monday morning and then I'll take our offer off the table completely. We can survive without this deal… the question is, can your client?"

Suddenly the room got very hot and my underwear extremely wet; Mr. Cullen in his commanding, authoritarian bossman role did dirty, dirty things to me.

I stifled a laugh as I could hear Marcus quickly try to appease the situation. "That works for me. I'll wait for your call."

Edward ended the call and sat back in his chair with a sigh.

"Will he call?" I asked and he looked up with a smirk.

"He'll call."

"Nicely done. Coffee?" I offered, but he shook his head.

"Not right now."

"Anything else?"

"There is something I need."

That was about the time I realised I was drowning about thirty feet below the surface. My games with flirty smiles and sexy clothes had backfired monumentally, because he gave me _that_ look… the first night look and I knew I was in trouble.

"Come here," he told me.

"Edward, I have work to do." I said nervously. "I don't think-"

"Come here, Bella," he said again roughly. He was staring at me and his eyes… his fucking eyes were hypnotic.

I shook my head because this hadn't been part of my plan. I was supposed to show him what he was missing, not let him take it… shit I wanted him to take it.

"Please?"

_Please._

Such a simple, everyday word and yet that was all it took. One please tumbling from his mouth and I forgot about everything else. I took one step in his direction, one very small, tentative step and he reached out with one hand, closing his fingers around mine—pulling me in front of him, resting against his desk.

He let go of my hand and held onto my waist, his thumbs massaging small circles over my blouse. We both tensed when the phone rang and with a frustrated sigh he hit the speaker button roughly, almost sending the handset flying off this desk.

"Edward Cullen," he answered still staring up at me.

"Edward?"

My step-fathers voice echoed around the room, and his hold on me tightened like he expected me to run away.

"Good morning, Phil," Edward said cautiously, like he was worried. "Is everything okay?"

"You tell me," he laughed. "I've just had a very disgruntled Marcus call me."

Edward's shoulders stiffened and he leaned forward, resting his head on my stomach. "I can imagine."

I lifted my hands and placed them softly on the back of his head, gently running my fingers up and down through his hair and almost straight away I saw him relax.

"He said something about you refusing to budge on our offer and telling him this deal was more important to the author than it was to us. Did you tell him that?"

I couldn't work out Phil's tone, but clearly Edward thought he was about to get a severe talking to as he shook his head once. "I did," Edward said, still massaging my sides. "Believe me, I know this would be a major deal for us, but I know exactly what he was up to and I also know there's not a chance in hell Demetri can match our offer. Felix Green simply cannot afford it, Phil."

"You don't need to justify your actions to me, Edward. I wasn't calling to tell you to back down, son," Phil reassured him. "I just wanted to warn you that he was hoping I'd intervene. Marcus Aro is a sneaky little fox, don't let him manipulate you. I told him straight up, he deals with you and you alone."

"Thanks for that support, Phil." Edward sounded surprised.

"Anytime, Edward. You know why I brought you here. I need someone I can trust to take over when it's time for me to step down once and for all—sooner rather than later if my wife has anything to do with it." Phil laughed. "One more question and then I'm going to work on my swing. How's Bella doing? I've heard good things from Mrs. Goff, but I want your opinion."

Edward and I both froze and I wondered what he was going to say.

"Miss. Swan still has a few more weeks left before her probationary period is over. Perhaps it would be best if I reserved my judgement until then?"

_Nicely done. Unless he can't think of anything good to say… crap._

"Always the diplomat," Phil told him, seemingly amused. "I was doubtful Charlie's idea was going to work… you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink, you know? Just give me one word to sum her up so far. Just for my peace of mind."

Edward hesitated, I waited, and Phil waited. He moved his head back and looked up at me. "I'd have to say… surprising."

"And I take it that's a good thing?" Phil asked.

"It is." Edward nodded and placed his head back against my stomach again.

"Very good." Phil sounded happy with that. "I'll let you get on. Call me when you hear from Marcus."

As soon as Phil hung up I laughed nervously. "Awkward conversation or what?"

He chuckled, but didn't look up.

"So, what did you really want to say?"

"Anything else I wanted to say would have gotten you in hell of a lot of trouble and me fired," he said huskily. "You smell so fucking good."

Edward's hands started to roam. Across my back, down over my ass, and up the fronts of my thighs before resting on my waist again. I felt him move his head slightly and then the tip of his nose nuzzled between two buttons of my blouse, pressing on my bare skin. His warm breath sent a shiver of goose bumps all over my body.

Next, he pressed a kiss over the white fabric and my heart began to race. His fingers dipped beneath the waistband of my skirt, tugging out my blouse as he pulled his hands around to the front. He lifted his head, his eyes fixed firmly in front of him, and opened the bottom few buttons and then kissed the skin above my naval. The desk was pressing against the backs of my thighs and I gripped onto it with my hands needing to steady myself.

He continued to press soft, sensual kisses over every inch of skin. Dragging his lips up and over my ribs, he opened the rest of the buttons and pushed my blouse open when he was done. He looked at me hungrily, staring right at my breasts. I'd known this bra didn't do a great job concealing just how my body reacted to him and that had been one of the reasons I'd chosen it.

Although, I never imagined he'd get to see it quite so up close and personal.

"You're a damned tease," he whispered, rubbing his thumbs over my scantily clad nipples. "And stubborn, so fucking stubborn. You knew exactly what this would do to me today."

I watched him, unable to speak. I couldn't help but arch to his touch, desperately wanting the fabric out of the way. He understood at once and his fingers latched onto the front clasp.

Suddenly I became aware that anybody could catch us like this. "Edward," I breathed. "What if someone sees?"

"We're the only ones here, Bella, and there are no cameras in here," he murmured. "I want to see you… I need to see you."

"Jesus," I gasped as he opened the clasp and immediately started playing with my nipples between his finger and thumb.

As he gently tugged and toyed, he resumed kissing my ribs and sides, wandering slowly down but the waistband of my skirt was in his way. I groaned embarrassingly loud as his fingers released my nipples and he chuckled breathily. With one hand he grabbed mine and placed it over my breast, nudging my fingers around until I got the message. He watched as I mimicked his own movements from moments ago and then took a deep but shaky breath through his nose.

His hands moved around to the back of my skirt and my breath hitched as he pulled it down.

"This has to come off." He looked back up to my fingers still playing with my nipple. "I want to see all of you."

I looked behind him through the vast window with no blinds or drapes and hoped to God nobody in one of the neighbouring buildings had a telescope pointing this way.

As soon as he'd got the skirt low enough his mouth was on my stomach and hips. The skirt fell down my legs and his warm hands ghosted back up my thighs and rubbed the bottom of my ass.

He pushed his chair back and patted the desk. "Sit." He helped me up and edged me as close to the edge as possible. Then, keeping my shoes on my feet, he lifted my legs up and rested them on each arm of his chair.

_Okay… this is exposing._

I was now utterly terrified of someone catching us, but just like that first night there was no chance of stopping him now. One kiss on the inside of my leg, one more kiss a little higher… and a little higher… slowly inching to the place I wanted him the most.

Apparently it was Edward Cullen's turn to tease me, and he was in no rush whatsoever. The anticipation was driving me wild and yet I wanted it to last as long as possible.

He stopped kissing my thigh and sat back in his chair, just staring at me. His gaze flickering between my face, my breasts, and between my legs.

"Edward," I moaned and a wicked smirk formed on his face, making me mutter, "Asshole."

The smirk grew into a wide smile and he laughed. "Hearing my name on your lips… like that… I'll never tire of it." He looked up to my face and held my gaze for a while.

It was right at that moment that he chose to run his index finger over the top of my underwear. My rather wet underwear.

"I did that," he said to me and I nodded. "I love that I did that to you."

He slipped his finger beneath the fabric and I moaned really loudly as he brushed against my throbbing skin.

"Fuck me, Bella," he breathed and pushed the material as far to one side as he could.

With his other hand, he pressed his thumb to my clit, rubbing circles round and round and then flicking softly up and down. I could see what he was doing, and I was torn between watching him do it and watching his face as he did it.

"Edward, please," I panted. "I can't…"

I could feel the coil of heat in my stomach building and building and when he licked his lips and leaned forward I swear I forgot my own name.

"Oh God." I held my breath as his fingers ran up and down once more before pushing my knees as far apart as they would go.

Now, this I wasn't going to miss and I watched him eagerly. Just the sight of his tongue flicking against my swollen flesh was the most erotic moment of my life and I could feel my mind drowning in the torrent of sensations he was eliciting. He was being purposely slow, teasing, torturing, and killing me. I was on the brink of an almighty, mind-shattering orgasm when the phone rang.

We both looked at it in disbelief and with a growl of frustration Edward hit the speaker button again.

"Yes?" he answered, the strain in his voice carefully disguised.

"It's Marcus. I think you know why I'm calling."

"Do we have a deal?"

If I expected Edward to focus purely on the call I was dead fucking wrong. As Marcus began talking about the finer details he wanted to iron out, Edward returned his attention… and his tongue to the where it had just been.

I squirmed on the desk, but he grabbed me and held me firmly in place with an almost unintelligible. "Ssh."

_Ssh? Ssh? Are you fucking kidding me?_

"Can you accommodate those terms?"

"Some of them certainly. Others we might need to discuss. I'll have my assistant draw up the new contract and then we'll talk."

Edward flattened his tongue against me and I knew there was no way I could keep quiet so I reached over to his phone and jabbed the mute button.

"I'll wait for the contract then," Marcus said almost sulkily and I unmuted the call quickly.

"Great doing business with you, Marcus."

_Mute._

"Am I keeping you?"

_Unmute._

"Actually yes, I'm in the middle of something I need to focus on to get it _just right_."

Oh, he was thoroughly enjoying this little game and I was more than ready for this damn call to end.

"Then I won't keep you."

Edward gave Marcus an embarrassingly muffled goodbye and the line went dead. Gone were the patient, gentle touches and I jumped when he tore the panties from my legs. He sucked and nibbled and pushed two fingers inside me, simultaneously reaching up with his free hand to play with my nipple again.

All three sensations sent me crashing into my climax and I called out over and over and over. I pulled him roughly to his feet, helping him out of his pants and boxers desperately needing to feel him inside me.

The desk was killing my ass and I felt like I was going to fall off, but all that was pushed from my mind as he pushed inside me swiftly. There was no sound in the office other than my cries, his grunts and our slapping skin.

"Fuck, Bella." Edward's hold on me tightened and with one final thrust he came.

_Yeah things just spiralled way out of control, but I wouldn't change a thing._

I wondered how he was going to act after that and I admit I was concerned he might just tell me to get dressed and go back to being the cold Edward he always was in the office. So, when he placed a very soft and tender kiss on my lips before helping me to my feet I couldn't help but smile.

"What am I supposed to do with these?" I grumbled, picking up my torn underwear and holding it up to him.

He snatched them from me with a smirk. "I'll be keeping hold of these, Bella."

"Not a chance," I said and tried to grab them back, but he fought me away.

"Don't you have some work to do?" He laughed and it wasn't cautious or guarded, it was a proper chuckle and it stopped me in my tracks. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You sound cute when you laugh," I said, grinning at him. "You should do it more."

"Duly noted." He winked. "Now make yourself useful and bring your boss some coffee before he fires your panty-less ass."

I narrowed my eyes at him which seemed to improve his mood even more. "Right away, _Mr. Cullen."_ I turned and walked away.

"Bella?" he called just as I reached the door.

"Yes?" I asked sweetly.

"I'll have a cinnamon."

I laughed to myself, the coffee code as it turned out had been a proven system and it was pretty damn satisifying to know that both times he'd asked for cinnamon had been after time spent with me.

"Cinnamon coming right up, Mr. Cullen."

"Bella?" he said again.

"Yes?" I looked at him in exasperation.

"Hurry up and finish whatever you have to do and leave what you can for Monday." He took a seat at his desk. "I want to be out of here in an hour or two."

"What's the rush?"

"I'm taking you out to dinner," he told me.

"It's not even lunch, Edward." I checked my watch just to make sure I hadn't been in his office for longer than I thought. "We have plenty of time."

"Then I guess we're having lunch _and _dinner and you'll be stuck with me all day." He smiled smugly. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"I'll let you know in a few hours," I told him, shooting him a cheeky wink. "You do have a tendency to irritate the crap out of me so the sooner we leave the office the more chance you have of surviving."

"Then we need to leave very soon, I have plans for you, Bella and trust me you need me very much alive to follow through." The smug bastard waved me away with a chuckle.

I tried to work, I really, really, tried but the hot sex on his desk was too distracting and I was still looking at the same blank document an hour later. I was into my third replay when the buzzing of my cell phone on my desk made me jump.

_You don't look very busy. E_

It was an unknown number but I knew exactly who it was from. I looked into his office and sure enough he was watching me, the same smug smirk on his face.

_So you found my number then? B_

I was smiling like an idiot.

_Yes, I've deleted more texts to you these past six weeks than I really should admit. I was trying to behave. E_

_**You were **_**behaving**_** like an ass. B**_

_I know, I know. I had my reasons. E_

_**And they were? B**_

_I have no idea, but they seemed good at the time. E_

_**Stop distracting me, Mr. Cullen. I have some work to do. B**_

I attempted to start working but my phone buzzed again.

_Liar, you're thinking about me. _

_And I know this because I'm thinking about you._

_I'm usually thinking about you._

_That's a lie, I'm always thinking about you._

_Thinking about you on my desk… just like you were earlier. We need to do that again. Soon._

_I've had enough pretending to work… let's get out of here. _

I giggled to myself as the influx of text messages kept coming.

"Something funny?" he asked, standing in the doorway to his office.

I shook my head. "Nope."

He walked over and sat on my desk, leaning down to kiss me. "Let's go, Bella," he murmured against my lips.

"Go where?" I asked, kissing him back.

"Your apartment was nice," he said, his tongue ghosting across my bottom lip.

I pulled back and shook my head in mock disgust. "I knew it! You have a one-track mind, Mr. Cullen. It's all about my apartment, huh?"

"Yep, that's it." He chuckled, grabbing the back of my head and kissing me again. "It's your apartment that has intoxicated my mind for the past six weeks, just your apartment, Bella."

"Edward?"

"Mm?" His fingers were knotted in my hair and his kisses becoming more intense.

"Unless you want to christen _my_ desk, we need to leave right now."

**Edward…**

_So much for staying away. Jesus that was… fuck it was worth getting fired for. Shit, what the hell? Is she worth getting fired for? Because I would… or would Phil just fucking kill me? She's worth it… seriously, what the hell? I'm fucked… literally… and it was so fucking good. Fuck. _

**So… yeah… I'll leave that right there.**

**Thanks for reading, reviewing etc, teaser will post in the Facebook Group MrsK81 Fic if you want to have a look.**

**Until the next update!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews, I do try to work through replies but if I don't get to yours please know I appreciate and love reading them all!**

**Also thanks to my lovely ladies Kitty & Mary for all their help, but I'm an eternal tinkerer so all mistkaes are mine.**

**Chapter 9**

"So lunch," Edward announced as we left the building hesitating on the sidewalk. "Is that deli open on a Saturday?"

I nodded. "Yes, but you won't get one of those sandwiches you insist upon."

"Then I guess I'll have to try something different." He shrugged.

As we approached the counter, the girl evidently recognised me and immediately pointed to the clock. "It's too late. Don't even try and talk me into it today, I don't care how much of an ass-chewing you're going to get from your boss."

"I wasn't going to ask." I smiled sheepishly. "It would appear my _boss_ wants to try something different. Just give us a minute."

Edward smirked and whispered, "So this is the _guy_ who gave you the free soda and wanted to ask you out?"

I blushed, naturally, and shrugged. "I was just following your lead."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Bree Tanner? Come on, you all but admitted you only had her call the office so I got the wrong impression about you two." I nudged him and then winked. "It worked."

"I know," he said smugly. "As much as you tried to hide it I could see it bothered you and I liked that."

"Look, are you two gonna order?" The man behind us tapped Edward's shoulder and gesticulated to the line of people waiting.

"I'm sorry," Edward said politely and flashed his most charming smile.

I placed my order and waited for another few minutes while Mr. Undecisive chose his. The man behind us grew more and more impatient and I had to wonder if Edward was doing it on purpose. When he'd finally made his mind up, he paid for both and we took a seat at one of the empty tables.

"Can I confess something?" he said with a mouthful of food.

"After you've finished chewing perhaps?" I grimaced. "Mangled bread and cheese isn't conducive to my own enjoyment of lunch."

He waited until he swallowed and then pulled a face. "I think these sandwiches are vile."

"What?" I asked in disbelief and he nodded. "All the sandwiches or just that one?"

"All of them. I barely managed more than a mouthful from any of them." He wrapped his almost untouched baguette in the paper and pushed it to one side. "I genuinely forgot my lunch once and Mrs. Goff offered to fetch me a sandwich. I told her it was delicious to be polite and then she insisted on bringing me one every day. She was the only person who actually seemed to tolerate me so I didn't like to upset her."

I burst out laughing. "And when I started?"

"I wanted you to screw-up," he admitted softly and leaned forward. "Working with you was impossible, Bella. You have no fucking idea how hard it was for me to see you every day and not want to kiss you."

"But in your office on my first day-" I began, but he stopped me.

"I meant what I said—I did have a particular dislike for people who were brought up in a similar situation to you and I assumed you were like them in all the same infuriating ways. It didn't stop the physical attraction of course, but I quickly started to realise I'd been wrong to tar you with that same brush." He sighed. "Then it became even harder to work with you because I was all out of excuses—bar one. One very important and influential reason."

"Phil," I said and he nodded. "That hasn't changed so why did you?"

"There were three things you did that made it impossible to stay away from you anymore," he said with a cheeky glint in his eye. "When you scared me to fucking death in my office yesterday it gave me a different perspective and then when I saw you wet and naked in your apartment. That just about tipped me over the edge."

"You said I'd done three things," I reminded him.

"Slip of the tongue, I said too much." He smiled shyly. "The third reason I'd quite like to keep to myself—for now at least."

"That's mean." I gave him a dirty look but he just shook his head. "And now what do we do?"

"Now we dispose of these appalling sandwiches and you let me take you out for dinner to a restaurant that sells food worth eating."

"This could get complicated," I said unsurely.

"Only if we let it." He looked unfazed. "We were both there that first night, Bella. That attraction, I couldn't control it and it hasn't faded—for me anyway."

"Or me," I admitted and leaned in to whisper, "But then I suppose you could tell that for yourself when I was sitting on your desk."

I grinned when he closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. "Shit, Bella," he muttered.

"You're thinking about it—about me on your desk. I guess we're in a sort of similar situation now." I patted the table, keeping my voice low but definitely audible. "It seems quite sturdy, don't you think?"

"Bella," he warned, but I ignored him.

"We could wait until this place closes and see what happens. I do have one less item of clothing you need to remove… my panties are still in your office, remember?" I winked and leaned back in my chair. "Are you okay?"

"This is a dangerous game you're playing, Miss. Swan," he growled. "A really dangerous game."

"But you're still playing, Mr. Cullen." I stood up and walked towards the door. "I guess I'll see you at dinner?"

"What?" he spluttered practically charging out of the restaurant after me. "Are we not spending the day together?"

"Nope." I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek. "I'm going home and you can pick me up at seven thirty."

"Bella," he whined, but I shook my head.

"You can spend all day thinking about me and what happened earlier, and what _might _happen after dinner if you play your cards right." I backed away down the street. "See you later, Mr. Cullen."

He stood gaping after me and as soon as he was out of sight I laughed loudly to myself. It was so damned hard to leave him standing there, because most of me wanted to spend all day with him. A small part of me, however, knew that I'd let him get what he wanted in his office far too easily and wanted to mess with his head just a little.

As I walked home, I felt elated, so elated that I was near on skipping down the street. I seemed to forget that I was panty-less, flushed, and grinning like an idiot. I passed by a boutique and fawned over a pretty dress hanging on the mannequin in the window display. It would have been perfect for tonight—if he actually followed through and took me out.

As if he knew I was starting to doubt him, my phone buzzed.

_7:15pm. I'm taking you to Vasqualia x_

I tried not to read too much into the kiss at the end of the text and just found I was gawking at my phone in shock. I knew Vasqualia, it was insanely difficult to get reservations there and there was no way you were getting a table on a Saturday night unless you'd booked it months in advance. It would appear that Mr. Cullen had more connections than even Phil did.

Still standing outside the boutique, I contemplated going in. I was going to a really nice restaurant so a new dress would be the icing on the cake. I'd just been paid so had enough money sitting in the bank. I could even have asked Amber to loan me the money later in the month if I was short—something I knew she would have been more than happy to do. I reached for the door but stopped myself, feeling that same sense of reluctance to do the one thing my father had specifically asked me not to do. He wanted me to live independently, manage my money and do it without Phil's credit cards or my friends' generosity.

So, I took a step back from the door and continued on down the street. Instead of blowing $500 on a dress, I thought about the hundreds of outfits hanging in my closet this very second and tried choosing one of those instead.

By the time I arrived home I already knew what I would wear, so I took it out and hung it on the back of my bedroom door. It was another of my favourites and I knew the girls would have approved. It was a deep burgundy, one-sleeved lace dress which fell mid-thigh. The lace was an open-weave, so there was a silk lining from my boobs to just short of the hem which made it more classy than slutty and more than appropriate for Vasqualia. I opened a bottle of wine and took a long, hot bubble bath, trying to unwind and allow myself to enjoy the next few hours.

I loved the build-up to a date; the excitement, the nerves, and the hours spent preening and polishing every inch of my body to ensure I looked my best. Of course, the fact that this date was with Edward made it even more exciting.

I tried to manage my time well, but without Amber and Carmen to help control my goddamn hair I was running late—really late. I wasn't even dressed when the doorman buzzed upstairs to announce Edward's arrival.

"Crap," I muttered. "Send him up."

I left the door ajar and raced back to my bedroom to try and finish before he got upstairs. I heard him call my name at the door and my stomach did backflips.

"I'm so sorry," I said sheepishly, poking my head around the door. "I had a mini disaster with my hair. Give me, like two minutes and I swear I'll be ready."

"Two minutes, Bella, then I'm coming in there after you and we won't make dinner."

I closed my door and moaned, "Oh fuck." Suddenly getting dressed seemed like the second-best idea.

_No. Make him wait. Be strong, remember?_

He did keep his promise and two minutes later he knocked once on my bedroom door and then opened it. "Bella, we do really need to leave."

"All done." I emerged from my bathroom all ready and smiled smugly. "Let's go."

"Maybe I was too hasty," he whispered, stepping closer to me. "I really don't think I want to take you anywhere looking like that."

"Why?" I asked nervously. "Is this not okay?"

He leaned down and kissed me, his hands planting themselves right on my ass. "It's more than okay, you're stunning, Bella. I just don't feel like sharing you."

"Edward," I breathed extremely distracted by his mouth which was now trailing softly down my neck.

"Mm?" he said against my skin.

"I'm really hungry," I told him.

"Me too."

"I mean for food and um… you have to stop doing that or…"

"Or?" He pulled back to look at me and my dress almost ripped itself off my body.

_How can one man smoulder like that? _

"I really want to have dinner with you, Edward. If we behave now and just go to dinner, I promise you've got all night to do whatever the hell you want to me."

"You really shouldn't have said that." A devilish smile formed on his face.

"I know," I admitted, wondering how the hell he always managed to manipulate my game plan.

"Come on then, Miss. Swan." He gave me one last kiss on the lips and then held out his hand. "Wait, I forgot."

I watched as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a long velvet box. "I got you something."

"You shouldn't have." I took it from him and opened the box. Inside was a bracelet made up of little glass stones, all differing shades of bronze. "It's so pretty. Thank you."

"There was a young girl selling these for charity. It's not much but-"

I put my fingers over his mouth. "It's perfect, Edward. Thank you."

"You can wear it another day," he said forcefully and tugged on my hand. "We need to leave."

"Why the rush?" I grumbled.

"The sooner we leave, the sooner I can get you back here and out of that dress."

"That is a good reason to rush," I agreed with a giggle and let him pull me along behind him quite happily.

TBMOA

"Can I get you anything else?"

I looked up to the waiter and tapped my chin. "Mm, yes. I think I'd really like another of those fabulous cocktails. Could you run through them again?"

"Bella." Edward glared at me. "I could run through the cocktails we've heard them so many times."

"But I'm thirsty," I objected innocently, the entire time letting my toes run up and down the inside of his leg.

He ignored my plea and said to the waiter, "Just the cheque please. We need to be leaving now."

"Of course, Mr. Cullen," he said and left us in peace.

"All fucking night," he groaned when I put my foot back on the floor. "You've been killing me all fucking night."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said, feigning a yawn. "You know, I am feeling rather tired. It's a good thing you asked for the cheque."

He shook his head. "Not a chance, Bella. You're all mine tonight, remember? I can do whatever the hell I want to you."

"And what do you have planned exactly?" I tried to sound cool and unaffected but failed miserably.

"Lots of things," he whispered, and just as he was about to elaborate naturally the waiter returned.

"Here you are, Sir."

Edward didn't even give him time to finish before he thrust the card at him and said quite forcefully that we were in a bit of a rush. The waiter looked at him, then at me, and then smirked. "I'll be right back."

"That was discreet," I grumbled. "You may as well have just bent me over the table right here."

Edward shrugged. "That's something I may consider if he keeps us waiting too long."

Thankfully, the waiter was back quickly and Edward had me out of my chair and marching towards the exit. The restaurant was on the other side of the city, so Edward had driven us here in his very sexy, very sleek black Aston Martin. Even the valet commented when he drove it around to the front of the restaurant.

"That is one hell of a car," he said admirably. "Vanquish?"

"Special edition—only five commissioned," Edward replied like a proud father. "I decided to treat myself."

"Really nice treat." The valet let out a long whistle and then went to open the door for me, but Edward interceded.

"I've got it. Thank you." He gave him a very generous tip and then helped me into the car.

"He only wanted to open the door," I said in amusement.

"Did I or did I not tell you I wasn't sharing you with anybody?"

When he got into the car he sped off quickly. "You are in a hurry to get me home," I said, gazing out of the window.

"You knew that already," he said gruffly.

"Well," I shifted in my seat, "We could always have a little fun on the drive home?"

"That's never going to happen." He chuckled. "One, a little fun is never going to be enough and two, not in _this_ car."

"You are kidding me?" I huffed.

"Never been more serious," he said, completely unapologetically.

"I bet I could change your mind."

"Not happening."

"Are you sure about that, Edward," I whispered and saw him glance across at me nervously.

With one hand I reached across the center console and ran my finger up the inside of his thigh, my touch growing increasingly softer the higher I went.

He jaw went rigid and his grip on the steering wheel tightened as I started stroking the material over his dick which seemed to be more agreeable to my idea.

"He seems to like it," I said smugly, trying to open the zipper on his pants. "Maybe we should give him some air?"

Before I even had it an inch of the way down, one of Edward's hand grabbed mine tightly. "Please, Bella."

I frowned at him. "You're really weird about your car."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Bella, my willpower was gone the second you touched my leg and I will most definitely be having you in this car at some point. Just not tonight."

"Not tonight?" I repeated and he shook his head.

"Not tonight." He laced his fingers through mine and rested them on his thigh. "We're doing things my way tonight."

I didn't really pay attention to what he was saying, I was a little preoccupied with our hands and the teenage girl inside me was squealing because he was holding my hand. Mr Cockhead Asshole who had done nothing but infuriate me for the past six weeks was holding my hand like-

_Stop it._

Right, yes. I needed to get a grip. He was only holding my hand to stop me from whipping out his manhood in the car. That was all.

"So, when did you get the car?" I asked him.

"The last deal I won for Felix Green came with a substantial bonus and I'd always wanted an Aston so I figured what the hell." He patted the steering wheel affectionately. "I don't get to drive it nearly enough. When I came out here from Chicago I took a few extra days just so I could drive."

"You drove?" I laughed. "Wow, you are attached. Where are we going?"

"Your apartment?" he suggested.

"Should I be worried about that?" I smirked.

"About what?"

"Your weird obsession with my apartment."

"It's not an obsession with your apartment—just a mental checklist I have." He looked across at me with a cheeky waggle of his eyebrows.

"What kind of checklist?" I asked, wondering if what I hoped he was implying was actually what he was implying.

"Of all the places I get to see you naked." _Oh that's a checklist I do like. _We stopped at a red light and he leaned across the console to kiss me. "I should warn you, Bella. It's a long fucking list."

"Oh." I felt even more hot and bothered than usual. "How long?"

"Really fucking long." He kissed me again and the car behind us honked his horn when the lights turned green and we didn't move.

"Technically though," I said as seductively as I could. "You've already seen me naked; last night when you came into my bedroom. I was naked… wet…"

"It doesn't count," he growled. "Unless I was there when you got naked and wet it doesn't count."

I giggled. "You seem a bit flustered there, Mr. Cullen. Are you sure you're okay?"

He ignored me and the car seemed to accelerate as we drove the last few miles. As soon as my building came into view I told him, "Take the next turning and use the underground car park. We have four parking spaces."

"Thank you," he said as he stopped in front of the barrier and I saw him sigh in relief. "I doubt I'd sleep knowing my car was out there."

I leaned over him to swipe my card and stopped to look at him—our faces barely an inch apart. "I thought you said I wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight anyway?"

"Swipe the damn card, Bella."

"In a hurry?" I teased and the look he gave me sent shivers down my spine.

_Swipe the damn card, Bella!_

**Thanks for reading and pimping. I'm so grateful!**

**I will update next Sunday, and if you're interested the new Christmas fic started posting this morning.**

**TTYL**

**Katy**

**xxx **

_**Edward…**_

_Did I just say I planned on fucking her in my car? What has she done to me? Fuck._


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi hi! Wow, massive thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I don't get around to replying to nearly as many as I should, but know I absolutely love reading them!**

**My girls Kitty & Mary are lifesavers, I don't know what I'd do without them. **

**Chapter 10**

"Edward?" I moaned. His lips were attacking my face, neck, and shoulder.

"Mm?" he mumbled.

"Um… you… need to… the button." I tried to push him away but I was caged against the back wall of the elevator. "The button, Edward. We're still in the lobby."

Edward stepped back and hit several buttons without looking, none of which was for my floor. I couldn't help but giggle at him, but apparently he didn't like that very much and kissed me again.

"Notmyfloor." I tried to tell him, but he didn't hear me and I was done trying to fight him.

When the elevator stopped about six floors lower than we needed to be, he pulled back quickly and began towing me through the doors.

"Edward, we're on the wrong floor." I laughed and hit the right button as I pushed him back inside. "I did try to tell you."

"It's your fault, you're far too distracting," he whispered, leaning down to kiss me again. "I can't think straight around you."

I understood his pain and quickly grabbed a fistful of his shirt to pull him closer to me. Kissing him was just divine and I could do it for days, weeks, months… years, but it also served as the best reminder of what else we could be doing.

I found myself back up against the wall of the elevator, his very adept hips grinding and rubbing in just the right spot. I heard the doors opened but neither of us moved and in all honesty I don't think we would have stopped, had it not been for our… spectator.

"Excuse me."

Edward spun around quickly and I groaned as I saw our snooty old hag of a neighbour standing by the doors, tapping her foot impatiently with a look of disgust on her face.

"Some of us like to use our bedroom for that sort of behaviour," she sneered.

"Some of us," I replied smugly, "have never been fortunate enough to be in the company of a guy like this before. You try behaving yourself when _he's_ kissing you, Mrs. Bertie. It's virtually impossible."

"We are very sorry," Edward said sincerely as he walked us past Mrs. Bertie who looked even more red-faced. "Have a pleasant evening, madam."

"See, my building isn't so perfect after all." I giggled. "Imagine having that stuck up old twit as your neighbour—I bet she'd love you, Edward. You'd get her visiting you naked… propositioning you-"

"Stop, Bella," he begged. "Please, please stop. That woman naked is not something I need a visual of."

"You do have a thing for older women," I teased and opened the door to my apartment. "Do you remember Bree?"

"Not Bree and not older women," he said calmly. "Not even women… just woman… you."

"Nice." I nodded appreciatively. "That was one hell of a line."

He shrugged out of his jacket and kicked off his shoes and I just stood there watching him. "So, now what?" I asked casually.

"Now, Miss. Swan. I'm making a start on the _doing whatever I like to you._" He kissed me and wasted no time at all. His hands immediately lifted my dress up and over my head, tossing it behind me.

One hand held my head, his fingers twirling in my hair and the other rested on the swell of my ass, letting his fingers just dip below my underwear. The way he kissed me blew my mind. It was hungry but sensual; intense, but soft and I had no idea how he managed to combine senses that were polar opposites.

We were still in the middle of the lounge. "Bedroom," I said against his mouth."

"Couch," he replied between kisses. "I want you bent over the couch... then your bedroom."

"Oh Jesus," I breathed. "Take off your shirt."

We both fumbled with the buttons and as soon as it was open, I ran my hands across his chest and back, loving the feel of his smooth, soft skin on my fingertips. We were still a few feet away from the couch so I backed away, pulling him along by the waistband on his pants until the backs of my legs hit the couch.

"Here?" I asked and he nodded.

"Turn around," he ordered and placed his hands on my hips as he turned me but then spun me back around quickly.

"Make up your mind." I smirked.

He removed my bra and then my panties, eyeing me hungrily. "I didn't want to miss seeing that. Now turn around."

I did as he asked and moaned when one of his hands slipped around the front of my stomach and reached between my legs. I wanted more and I wanted it now.

"Just do it, Edward," I begged and bent over the back of the couch. "Right now, please. Just fuck me."

"Shit," he croaked.

I heard the clunk as his belt hit the floor and he pushed inside me swiftly and it felt so fucking good. He had a tight hold on my hips and it wasn't exactly gentle but it really wasn't enough.

"Harder, Edward," I moaned and he complied instantly. "Fuck."

His hold on me continued to intensify the harder and faster his thrusts became and I felt it… felt _him_ everywhere. My entire body reacted to him in the most exhilarating and arousing way.

"Bella, I can't," he panted and I could feel his body trembling. The fact that this was as intense for him made it even more incredible and my body clamped down around him.

Edward leaned forward and rested his cheek on my shoulder. He was breathing hard and his body was warm and sticky. "How do you do that? Every time you do that to me, Bella, and every time it's better."

_Amen, Edward. A-fucking-men._

TBMOA

"What did you mean yesterday?" I stopped and tried to gauge his expression as we lay in bed. "When you thought I'd taken something?"

"What are you referring to exactly?" He looked amused and cute with his hands up near his face and rogue strands of hair over his eyes. We were facing each other, our faces a few inches apart and despite the fact I found it hard to resist kissing him, I also liked seeing him like this—unguarded and less _boss_man… more regular man.

I propped myself up on my elbow wanting to get a better look at him. "You said that I was just like… then you stopped yourself and said something different."

"Oh that." He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Your girlfriend?" I asked anxiously, hoping to God there wasn't a girlfriend.

He smiled and opened his eyes again. "I took you home from the club and asked you spend the night with me, yesterday I admitted you were all I could think about for six weeks and here I am now… and you think there's a girlfriend?"

"I just… you never talk about anything personal. Okay, until now you've never talked to me at all but still, you know what I'm getting at." I lay back down, shuffling even closer to him.

"There's no girlfriend, Bella. I was talking about my father." He looked sad as he spoke and I felt bad for bringing it up.

"Oh." I wasn't sure what else to say.

Edward sat up and looked out of the huge window in my bedroom. I expected him to get up and leave, I could feel the tension rolling off him in waves, but he didn't.

"He was my favourite person on the planet," he said sadly. "We were a typical, happy family—or at least I thought we were."

"You don't have to tell me, Edward. I didn't mean to pry." I sat up and kissed his shoulder.

"It might help explain why I'm the way I am." He turned his head to look at me and kissed my forehead. "He's a surgeon… was… a surgeon. A really great fucking surgeon, one of the most respected in his field. He and my mom met when he was in med school and she was a waitress in a diner he used to go to. Like an idiot he got her pregnant—with me."

"How old was your mom?" I asked.

"Eighteen." He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. "His parents wanted her to have an abortion and disowned him when he refused. They stopped covering his tuition and living expenses. Dad had to take on a second job when he wasn't at school to help cover the bills and Mom worked from home sealing envelopes and shit like that. I don't remember obviously, but they struggled for a long time."

"And no one helped them? Even after you were born?" I said in disbelief and he shook his head. "I can understand them being disappointed at first… but how could they not want anything to do with their grandchild?"

"Dad's family was wealthy and Mom wasn't—she grew up in foster care and he was all she had. I suppose they wanted him to mix with girls from their circles.

"Girls like me?" I guessed, and he smiled apologetically. "That's why you hated me."

"I never hated you." He shook his head and kissed me softly. "I could never hate you, Bella. I was just bitter. Dad's family thought money meant better, and couldn't understand why he wanted a girl like Mom. They assumed that if they cut him off, he'd leave us behind—they were wrong."

"He loved his family more than money. He didn't need anything but the two people he loved." I smiled, but he didn't share my sentiment.

"But there was something else he needed more." He clenched his fists, and I started rubbing his back softly trying to soothe him. "For a few years things were good. We lived in a nice house, went on nice holidays and I always had nice clothes and new toys. Then, when I was twelve we lost everything. Just like that." He snapped his fingers and it made me jump.

"How?" I stroked the back of his neck and he closed his eyes mumbling that it felt really good.

"Someone died on his table. A young kid, the same age as me. There was a huge inquiry and it came out that dad was dependent on prescription drugs. Codeine, Morphine, Oxy—anything he could get his hands on."

"For how long?"

"Years—since med school he said. Apparently, he needed something to keep him awake to study after he took on the job to support us. For twelve years he'd been a functioning addict, no one had any idea." He was staring out of the window as he spoke, like he was reliving it. "He'd kept it hidden well, used leftover meds he found and falsified charts. No one had any reason to suspect—why would they? He was Dr. Carlisle Cullen. The family of the patient sued us, and because of his drug habit, the malpractice insurance was void. We lost out home, our car… everything. He was stripped of his medical licence and it just spiralled out of control."

"I'm sorry, Edward." I leaned against him, kissing his arm.

"We moved to an apartment complex and mom had to work three jobs to pay the legal fees and rent. Dad was depressed, he spent all day every day drinking and then we got a new neighbour; some scumbag dealer out on parole. That was that. Dad went from a functioning addict to a non-functioning addict. Mom worked fourteen hour night shifts, so I'd get up in the morning before she came home and drag his drunken ass to bed so she wouldn't see just how bad he was. Then when I came home from school and she was back at work, I'd find him off his face on drugs. There were used needles and shit all over the fucking floor. I'd clean them up and again drag is ass to bed."

"You did that just so your mom wouldn't know?" I felt tears prick my eyes. I'd been experimenting with my hair and shopping without a care in the world at twelve and Edward was living like that?

"She knew. I found that out later down the line, but at the time I just wanted to make her happy—she was always so sad." He sounded surprisingly calm as he told me. I was almost in tears listening to it. "She had to hide money otherwise he'd take it, he stole her jewellery and sold it for drugs—even his own fucking wedding ring. I learned to tell when he'd had a bad batch—that's what I meant when I thought you…"

"I get it," I whispered. "Did he get better?"

"No," he laughed darkly.

"How long did it go on for?"

"Almost four years. I was fifteen and lived in an apartment with no television, radio or anything because my father sold anything he could. The only thing I had was books—I lived at the library. I couldn't stand to be at home with him, I resented him so much. One morning I found him in a bad way and had to call 911."

"Did he…"

"Almost." He shook his head. "When he finally came to, Mom told him that he wasn't coming back home until he was clean. I think he realized what he was about to lose and was admitted to a state funded rehab facility. We visited him and for a few weeks I saw my old dad. He was clean for about nine weeks and Mom was getting ready to have him home when we got the call. He'd snuck out in the middle of the night with another patient and they'd scored drugs. Whatever they thought they were buying—it was something else and they found him dead in an alley with the needle still in his arm."

"I'm so, so sorry, Edward." I was crying but didn't want him to know so I wiped my eyes quickly. "I shouldn't have brought this up… I'm sorry."

"Hey," he whispered and kissed my forehead, letting his lips linger there for a while. "It feels good to get it out; I haven't talked about this to anyone." He put his arm around my shoulder and then laid us both down on the bed.

"Never?"

"Never." He buried his face in my hair. "We got back on our feet afterwards but Mom never got over it. Despite everything that happened she loved him and missed him. I was at college when she died. That's why I was so fucking nasty about your upbringing and I really am sorry for how I acted. I watched my mom work herself to the bone to keep our family together and still we had nothing."

"You don't have to apologize." I kissed his jaw.

"I worked my ass off in school to make sure I changed where I was headed. I stayed away from girls and didn't even make time for friends."

"Now that can't be true." I sat up and shook my head.

"What?"

"You expect me to believe that you got _that_ good with just a few one night stands?" I scoffed.

"Bella, my dad's downfall was getting my mother pregnant. Without that he wouldn't have needed the second job or the drugs… I was not getting in that situation for any girl. I didn't sleep with anyone until I was about to graduate college and I spent most of the time worrying that the condom was about to break." He looked serious.

"How is that even possible?" I waved my hand up and down his body. "Have you seen you?"

He laughed. "I was all about my career, Bella. Not much has changed."

"But you were so confident that first night and um… good." I was thankful for the darkness because I could feel my cheeks turning red.

"The confidence thing I guess is a result of being a success in other areas and the good thing I should accredit to all the porn I watched. I paid attention."

"You said you weren't interested in girls?" I started to say and he laughed even more.

"But I was still a guy, Bella." He put his arms above his head. "I watched a hell of a lot of porn."

"But you've never had a girlfriend?"

"Not really. I don't need that kind of complication in my life—I have things I still want to do." His words caught me a little off-guard.

_Complication… is that what I am?_

"Such as?" I pressed, trying not to think about it too much. "I would have thought you'd achieved just about everything already."

"Not yet. I'd sacrifice anything to get the opportunity to sit at Phil's desk. Don't get me wrong I love what I'm doing now, but to be ultimately responsible for an entire company—that's what I want and I won't stop until I get it." The determination in his voice unnerved me.

"Is that what this is?" I pointed between him and me. "Am I your ticket to Phil?"

"Not at all." He grabbed my hand and kissed it. "I guess as much as I tried not to be, I have some of my father in me."

"What do you mean?"

"Drugs were my father's downfall and you Isabella Swan, might just be mine. If Phil finds out-"

"He won't," I assured him. "I promise he won't."

"Regardless, I couldn't leave now if I tried."

TBMOA

I woke up with no cover, no room and something prodding uncomfortably in my back. I rolled over, hoping to see Edward's morning glory saying hello, but unfortunately it was just his elbow.

"Are you kidding me?" I sat up and nudged him. "Edward?"

He opened one eye and smiled sleepily. "Morning."

"It's not morning," I huffed and tried pulling the covers over me. "It's not even seven yet so for a Sunday that classes as the middle of the night and look at all that room on your side. You could fit two more of me in that space and yet I'm teetering on the edge with no covers and your fucking elbow lodged in my back."

"Sorry." He laughed and shuffled closer to the middle of the bed. "I'm not used to sharing."

"No shit." I yawned and lay back down. "Bed hogging, sheet thief."

"Mm, now I'm awake… and you're awake." He pressed his body flush against me and kissed the back of my neck. "What shall we do?"

"I'm not awake," I grumbled. "I'm definitely not awake."

"I bet I could wake you up," he murmured.

"I wouldn't advise that," I warned him. "I'm tired and very grumpy."

"We can't have that."

I felt another prod in my back and this time I knew it wasn't his fucking elbow. "Come on, Edward." I wanted to sleep, but he had other ideas. _Other very tempting ideas._

"If you didn't want me to do this," he whispered, reaching around to touch my breast. "You really should have put on some clothes before we went to bed."

"I did," I reminded him. "You took them off remember?"

He chuckled and I sat up again, pulling the sheet with me. "I need a shower and coffee. I cannot function without coffee… even you and your magical seduction powers can't change my mind."

"I have magical seduction powers?" He looked happy at that revelation.

"Like you don't know," I muttered and put on my robe. "I think as I spend all day, every day bringing you coffee, it's your turn to bring me some."

"Happy to." He kissed my cheek and stood up. "Where are my clothes?"

"You threw your boxers over there," I pointed to the window. "And the rest of them are right where you left them… you were in quite a hurry last night."

I took one last look at his mighty fine ass before he covered it, and then went straight to get a shower. I washed quickly, slightly concerned that Edward might vanish when he had time to stop and think about the last twenty-four hours. I was just about to get dressed when I heard other voices in the apartment.

"Shit," I hissed to myself and snatched my robe up instead. "They're not supposed to be home until tonight."

As I hurried to the kitchen I heard the girls quizzing the poor guy and opened the door to find Edward cornered in the kitchen in nothing but his boxer shorts. The poor guy looked scared to death.

"Guys," I said to them and tugged Edward away. "Leave him alone."

"We were just trying to establish who exactly he was. There is a strange, nearly naked man in our apartment, we have a right to be concerned." Amber laughed. "Is he the reason you wouldn't come to New York?"

"No. My bank account couldn't handle shopping with you guys… this was a recent development." I grinned at Edward who laughed.

"Bah, I'm just happy that you've moved on from that asshole boss," Amber said casually.

"Um, Amber," I started to say, but she continued to shoot off her mouth.

"Did she tell you about that asshole?" She didn't give Edward a second to respond. "Talk about a total dirt bag."

"Amber," I hissed. "This is Edward."

"Edward?" She glanced nervously at Carmen who was trying not to laugh and then looked to Edward again. "You're…"

"Dirt bag, Asshole Boss. Nice to meet you." He grinned.

"Shit, that's embarrassing." Amber pulled a face and then thought better of it. "But then again, you were an asshole to her."

"Amber." I shot her a look. "Enough."

"No, she's right I was and I'm trying to put that right now." Edward seemed unfazed. "Maybe we could go out for coffee, Bella?"

"Sure." I smiled. "I need to get dressed then we'll head out."

"You should get dressed too, Edward," Carmen joked. "I take it those are your clothes all over the apartment?"

"I'll just grab them." He looked a little flustered and the girls giggled.

"When you said hot," Carmen said dreamily. "I didn't realize you meant _hot-_hot_._"

"You talked to him, right?" Amber asked sternly. "About him treating you like shit?"

"Yeah we talked." I nodded and started to walk away.

"So what happened?"

"He walked me home Friday night from his hotel and-"

"You hooked up with him on Friday?" Carmen asked incredulously. "What happened to putting out feelers?"

"Nothing happened on Friday, he was taking care of me and… what?" The girls were staring at me looks of exasperation on their faces.

"I think we missed a few steps, Bella. Taking care of you?"

"Oh yeah, about Thursday night—were you two okay after that drink the guy sent us?" I asked quietly and they nodded. "I don't think I was drunk… how could one drink do that? Edward seemed to think someone spiked my drink."

"Shit, Bella. I didn't even think… I just thought it went straight to your head." Amber put her hand to her mouth. "I'm so sorry… we laughed at you for being a lightweight."

"It's okay." I leaned against the worktop. "I just don't understand why some random guy would drug me when I was with you two."

"Random guy?" Carmen frowned. "I thought Royce bought you the drink?"

"Royce?" I asked.

"Royce King?" I turned around and saw Edward standing in the doorway, he looked furious. "You were with Royce fucking King on Thursday night?"

"No," I said, but then the memory came to mind. "Shit he _was_ there."

"You were talking to him at the bar… he bought us those drinks," Amber told us. "He tried to persuade you to have a real drink."

Carmen looked at Edward. "She was being good because she had to work the next day."

"Now I remember." I nodded. "I'd forgotten about him."

"Did King send you the drinks?" Edward asked tightly.

"We didn't see him." Amber shook her head. "Why would he do that to Bella's though? I mean we were with her all night."

"It's probably just a coincidence. Right?" I looked at Edward and he nodded, but the expression on his face told me he didn't think so. "Do you still want to get that coffee?"

"Of course." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

He waited for me to get dressed and then drove us back to his hotel. Apparently his idea of coffee was breakfast delivered to his suite. He was quiet and brooding and it made me uncomfortable, like I'd done something wrong.

"I can leave if you'd rather be alone," I started to say but he shook his head vehemently and sat beside me on the bed. "Are you angry with me because of Royce?"

His expression softened and he pulled me into his lap. "I am angry, but not with you."

"Royce?" I asked, and he nodded. "It might not have been him."

"Be careful," he said roughly. "If he says anything, does anything, tries anything or makes you feel uneasy in any way tell me or go straight to Phil, Bella."

"Why would he?"

"Please?"

"Okay. I'll tell you or go straight to Phil." I twisted in his lap so I was straddling him. "I don't like it when you're all tense."

"I was just thinking about a few things."

"No thinking." I shook my head. "I forbid it."

"I think even you might struggle to enforce that." He chuckled and I could see I was distracting him.

"So how about I just redirect your thoughts?" I suggested.

"Stay," he said simply.

"Huh?"

"Tonight. Stay here. That would definitely redirect my thoughts." He kissed me once. "You can go home and change before work."

"Okay," I agreed. "But are we going to spend the entire day in your hotel room?"

"Yes," he growled. "And in the interest of redirecting my thoughts you need to remove your clothes right now."

So I did…

_**Edward…**_

_She got me to tell her everything. How does she do that? Fuck._

* * *

**Thanks for reading, more to come next week. So that's Mr. Cockhead's story… thoughts?**

**If you want a tease for the next chapter, feel free to come find us in MrsK81 Fic on Facebook. **

**Until the next one…**

**Katy**

**x**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks as always to my amazing ladies, Kitty & Mary and to you guys for such a wonderful response. I still can't quite believe it!**

**Chapter 11**

The alarm going off at five the next morning made me want to cry. Having spent the better part of six weeks ignoring me, Edward had come to the decision he had a lot of making up to do. Not that I was complaining of course, it just meant we didn't get much sleep.

"That is the most hideous fucking noise," Edward muttered and pulled a pillow over his face. "Turn it off."

"It was _your _bright idea for me to spend the night," I reminded him and sat up yawning. "If you'd been a gentleman and walked me home last night we'd both be asleep right now."

He peeked out from behind the pillow and smiled. "I'd rather you be here," he said sleepily. "And like I said last night, I've six weeks of asshole-ish behaviour to try and make up for."

I couldn't help but smile—a really huge, face-splitting grin and I was thankful for the near-darkness in the room. "That is true," I agreed.

"And as we're both awake now…" he said gruffly. "I can think of a way to make it up to you that little bit more."

"Don't even think it," I growled and he chuckled.

"You really aren't a morning person."

"I'm serious, Edward, I don't do sex in a morning." I yawned. "Ever."

"Is that a challenge?" He laughed. "I like a challenge."

"If you want to consider it a challenge then I guarantee you'll be going down, Mr. Cullen," I warned him. "This is one challenge you will not win."

"If I really turned it on, Bella," He smirked, "Trust me you wouldn't stand a chance."

"Cockhead." I hit him with my pillow and stood up. "

"What?" he asked, throwing the pillow to one side. "What did you just call me?"

"A cockhead," I said, trying to find my clothes.

"Should I be offended?" he asked, pouting and I laughed.

"Mm, honestly? Yeah you should. I gave you that name after you were a huge _cockhead_ to me in your office on my first day." I wiggled into my jeans. "I nearly called you Mr. Cockhead to your face so many times."

"I guess I deserved that," he said sadly and sat up.

"For the record, I use it now in a purely affectionate way. I don't, in fact think you're a cockhead, quite the opposite really." I blew him a kiss. "I need to go."

"Stay?" he whispered, climbing out of the bed grabbing my hand. "Just a little longer?"

"Stop it." I backed away. "We'll be late."

"So?" he said seductively.

"We have a meeting." I pressed my hand against his bare chest and tried to push him back. "I have to go… I really do. You won't win."

"This challenge is still in play." He laughed and reached behind me open the door. As he kissed my cheek he said, "But I think I won the best thing of all."

"You really do have the best lines." I blew him another kiss and left him standing extremely naked in the doorway.

TBMOA

I kept my clothes extremely professional knowing we really needed to be on our best behaviour when the building was open as normal. Edward was already in his office when I arrived and I'd not even taken off my coat when my phone buzzed.

_I hope you're not wearing that shirt again, Miss Swan? E x_

I smiled to myself and looked through the glass. He kept his eyes on the computer screen but I could see the huge grin on his face.

_Different shirt, I promise. The same can't be said for my underwear. B x_

I turned on the coffee machine and then sat down at my desk with the intention of getting on with my work.

_Now I know that isn't true, Miss Swan. They're still in my office. E x_

I ignored his message and instead took him his coffee. "Cinnamon?" I guessed and he laughed.

"Assume it's always Cinnamon from now on, Miss Swan." He took the cup from my hand and let his fingers graze my wrist deliberately. "Thank you."

"Are you ready for the others?" I asked, referring to the usual morning debrief.

"Yeah, let's get it over with." He pulled a face and then asked almost anxiously, "You will behave?"

"Behave?" I laughed.

"In the meeting," he said and stood up. "I don't think I could concentrate if you're being all sexy and _seducey_."

"_Seducey_? That's not a word."

"It's a word," he said walking a few steps closer to me. "You're all _seducey_ when you bite your lip and pretend to work."

"I do work!" I told him. "And I don't try to be _seducey_, you just have a one track mind."

"You don't have to _try_ to be _seducey_, Bella, you just are. I'm not the only who's noticed as I'm sure you're aware." He got all angry again, so I discreetly placed my hand on his arm.

"I only wanted you to notice," I admitted and he relaxed.

"Oh I did." He smirked and went back to his desk. "So no _seducey_ behaviour?"

"I'll do my very best, Mr. Cullen," I said sweetly and turned to leave, wiggling my ass as I did.

"You're _so_ not going to behave." He chuckled.

As it happened, I _did_ behave. Mr. Cullen on the other hand, did not.

TBMOA

"Miss Swan?" he asked in his usual cool, curt office-manner. "I need the details on the Yorkie deal. I'd like to show Jacob what I've planned so far. You'll find the file in my desk drawer."

"Right away, Mr. Cullen." I saw the faintest, ghost of a smirk on his face but thought little of it until I opened the drawer. There sitting right on top of the wanted file was my torn panties.

"Something wrong, Miss Swan?" he asked innocently. "We're waiting."

"No, Sir. I've got it right here." I stuffed the panties into my pocket and shut the drawer quickly. "Here you are, Mr. Cullen."

_Jackass_

"Jacob, I need this to be your top priority. You have my permission to delegate your other assignments until this is complete. It's a big deal for us and we need to give him our very best work." He was all domineering and bossman again and I couldn't help but think about Saturday morning.

"I also want to discuss this," he said sharply and nearly everyone jumped when a file landed on the table with a loud slap. "This was a rejection… notice I said _was_?"

_Uh-oh._

It was the manuscript Edward had caught me reading and then overridden the original rejection after I went on the mini-rant.

"It's your genre, Colin, am I right?" he asked icily and I gulped.

"I didn't think…" Colin began to say nervously. "It didn't really grab me and…"

"You did read a few chapters of course?" Edward asked and Colin nodded. "No you did not. Let me tell you what I think happened, Colin. You read the summary, decided that it didn't sound like anything worth publishing and dismissed it. The summary stinks, I'll give you that but, anyone who read the first chapter would have snapped it up."

"My mistake, I'm really sorry," he mumbled. "Thank you for catching it, Mr. Cullen."

I wasn't expecting him to acknowledge my part in this so his response shocked me.

"I didn't. You should be thanking Miss Swan for that, Colin, and make sure you do at some point." Everyone looked at me and I blushed furiously. "Cleaning up your mistakes is not one of her tasks, so may I ask you all to raise your game. We can't afford to miss out on the books worth printing and I won't tolerate slack work."

"Thank you-" Colin began to say to me but he was interrupted.

"Not now, Colin." Edward shook his head and added, "I want to see every manuscript that comes to you for the next two weeks. As soon as you've made your assessment, bring it to my office. I need to establish if this was a one-time mistake or something else. Are we clear?"

Colin nodded once and I wanted to kiss Edward right there in front of everyone for giving me the acknowledgement. However, I didn't think he'd class that as good behaviour so I just plotted _other_ ways to thank him later. The meeting was over a few minutes after the Colin-humiliating and Edward excused all of us bar Emily who had to go over a few other things with him.

As soon as I was back at my desk I picked up my phone and texted him.

_Thank you. That was really nice. B x_

I watched him pick up his phone and smile.

_Credit where credit is due, Bella. Make sure he thanks you. E x_

I grinned to myself; the sweeter side to his personality was too good to keep hidden behind the asshole façade he put out there. Speaking of which…

_Oh and on a separate matter… cockhead! B x_

His smile grew wider for a split second before he composed himself.

_I'm not following. E x_

_Of course you aren't. BTW I returned the panties back to their rightful owner. B x _

_I just couldn't resist. Forgive me? E x_

_You might have to add some more making up time to that long list of yours. B x_

_Consider it done. Did you not appreciate it at all? E x_

_Actually, Mr. Cullen, it was kinda hot. It made me think about Saturday… me naked… on your desk… that was fun. Can we do it again soon? Or maybe this time I could return the favour ;) B x_

I laughed quietly when I saw him tug on the top button of his shirt and fidget in the chair.

_You okay, Mr. Cullen? You look a little flustered. B x_

He glanced through the glass, trying to seem angry but he was failing. I could see he was dying to smile and I just laughed again.

_You're an evil, evil woman. E x_

I decided to let him focus on the meeting and got on with my work. I heard the elevator doors open, but I hadn't looked up before the visitor spoke.

"Good morning, Isabella."

I stiffened when I heard Royce's voice and glanced nervously into Edward's office. He had his back to me, looking over some artwork Emily was working on.

"Morning," I mumbled.

"A little birdy told me you were a little hung over on Friday." He smirked and sat on my desk. "I hope Cullen didn't give you too much flack."

"I wasn't hung over," I said casually. "Who told you that I was?"

He shrugged and asked, "Didn't Cullen have to reschedule the meeting because you didn't show? Gee, I hope we don't lose the contract for that, but rumour has it Eric Yorkie was talking exclusively to Felix Green first thing this morning."

"You need to find another, more well-informed source for your gossip and hearsay then, Mr. King," I told him icily. "Edward secured the contract on Saturday morning, so there's nothing to be worried about."

Royce didn't look happy about that, but he disguised it quickly and put his hand on my shoulder. "It was great to see you at the club. We should do it again… just you and me."

"No thank you," I said politely but my heart was racing and not in the same way Edward made it race. I moved my chair back to try and break the contact, but he leaned closer over the desk.

"I'm serious, Isabella, you looked good enough to eat. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to leave together." He rubbed his thumb on the back of my neck and I pushed away quickly.

"I'd rather you didn't do that," I told him angrily.

"Why?"

"It's inappropriate and I'm not interested." I stood up and stepped away from my desk. "I'm really busy, Mr. King. Did you need anything?"

"I just wish you'd let me take you out and show you what you're missing," he said, closing the distance between us again. I looked to Edward's office again, but he was still facing away from me. "We'd be great together."

"I disagree. Men with girlfriends, wives, or fiancées do not interest me and to be completely honest, Royce, you're making me really uncomfortable, please step away."

"You won't cause a scene, Isabella. You need this job, remember?" He laughed and tried to touch my face. "I think there's a lot you'd put up with before you'd go running to daddy."

He was almost right—I didn't want to cause a scene and not because I feared for my job… I feared for Edward's. I thought about how angry he'd been yesterday and I wasn't sure how he'd react to Royce now. I was just about to push him away as hard as I could when we were interrupted.

"Miss. Swan, I really need to talk to you." Alice was standing by my desk looking seriously pissed off. "It's urgent."

"Excuse me," I mumbled and pushed him away.

Alice turned and walked into the bathroom and I followed. As soon as the door swung shut I was just about to explain what had really happened when she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Oh." It wasn't what I'd been expecting at all and I nodded once. "Yes."

"He looked a little full on."

"He can't take a hint," I said quietly. "I wasn't sure how to deal with him without causing a huge scene."

"He's a jerk," Alice muttered. "Mrs. Goff asked me to keep an eye on you. Apparently, she noticed he had a _fondness_ for you on your first day. I was just going to the bathroom when I heard his voice."

"Thank you," I whispered and she smiled.

"No problem. You should tell, Mr. Cullen," she suggested.

"I was hoping it would pass," I admitted, still unsure if this amicable behaviour was genuine. "Why are you being nice?"

"Yeah, I guess I owe you an apology for how I acted." She laughed and shook her head. "I hate to admit it… but I think maybe we were wrong and Mrs. Goff was right about you. I thought you were here to get fast-tracked to an important position like Mr. King. Everyone knows he only got the job because of Mr. Hale and Rosalie. I just assumed…"

"You aren't the only one." I smiled.

"You're doing a great job," she said. "No one can deny that and Jessica also owes you an even bigger apology for letting you take the blame for her screw up."

"It's no big deal," I said, still feeling unsure. "I should get back… Mr. Cullen doesn't like me leaving my desk."

"He's a hard ass that's for sure," she agreed. "Don't tell the others I said this, but I respect him for what he's done here in such a short space of time. I do sympathise with you though."

"Why?"

"We get his company for an hour in a morning and maybe one or two other instances during the day." She laughed. "You get it for nine hours… I don't know how you can stand it."

I shrugged. "I think I've learned to drown out his barking."

"You'll have to teach me how to do that." She grinned.

As we left the bathroom, I noticed Royce still loitering around my desk.

"I can wait?" she offered but I shook my head.

"No, I got it. Thanks, Alice," I said sincerely.

"Sure." She gave me a friendly smile and then asked, "Are you going to the party on Saturday? It's the retirement party for Mr. Hale and Mrs. Goff."

"Oh, yeah. That should be fun," I said, not sure if mixing alcohol in the company of Edward would result in anything other than totally inappropriate behaviour.

"Cool." She grinned and walked back to the editing office.

When I returned to my desk I asked Royce icily, "Did you need anything?"

He inclined his head to Edward's office. "I need to see Cullen."

"I'll just see if he can be disturbed." I wouldn't normally interrupt Edward, but there was no way I was staying alone with that creep and I honestly had no idea how to handle it without the end result being my knee in his groin. I walked quickly over to the door and knocked once before opening it. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Mr. Cullen."

He turned around and frowned slightly but his voice was soft. "What is it?"

"Mr. King is here to see you," I said quietly and his jaw clenched. "I can tell him you're busy… um… but…"

He noticed my expression and shook his head. "No, it's fine, Bella. I'm sorry, Emily, we'll have to finish this later."

"Sure, Mr. Cullen." Emily gathered her things from the desk.

"Shall I send him in?" I asked still lingering nervously in the doorway, reluctant to go back to Royce.

"No," he answered tightly and stood up.

"See you at lunch, Bella?" Emily asked as she approached the door.

"Yeah sure." I smiled.

Edward followed Emily out of the room and then addressed Royce stiffly, "I didn't realise we had a meeting scheduled."

"We don't." Royce said, all the niceties gone now Edward was around. "I'd heard that you'd lost the Yorkie deal and thought I'd offer my commiserations. Isabella and I were just talking about it and she seemed to think you'd managed to save it."

"Mr. King was under the impression that we lost the contract because I was absent on Friday morning. I told him that he'd been misinformed and that the deal was made on Saturday," I told Edward pointedly and he nodded once. "He doesn't appear to believe me."

"Miss Swan informed you correctly. Yorkie's agent and I agreed terms on Saturday morning." He didn't elaborate further and his posture was rigid and a little intimidating.

"Does Phil know you were absent?" Royce asked me and before I had chance to say a word, Edward intercepted, moving to stand in front of me.

"Mr. Dwyer will find out about it when we have the twelve week performance review," Edward said, his voice almost venomous. "Miss Swan called me early on Friday morning to explain why she would be late and we simply rescheduled a meeting. I don't see how that would be any of your concern, Royce?"

I had to hand it to Edward, he was so convincing I almost believed him.

"The talk around here is that she was out at a club and too drunk to show for work," he said casually and Edward's cool demeanour slipped just slightly.

Not sure what else to do to diffuse the situation I spoke up, "You saw me, Mr. King, I certainly wasn't drunk and you even bought me a non-alcoholic daiquiri.

"Then why weren't you here?" he pressed.

"Again, I'll ask what concern it is of yours?" Edward said firmly. "Miss Swan is my assistant and besides Mr. Dwyer, there is no one else here that she has to explain herself to. Now do you need to talk to me about something or not?"

"Not right now," he said coolly. Edward remained in the same spot, making it perfectly clear he wasn't moving until Royce left. "Congratulations on the Yorkie deal, but I've got an even bigger one lined up."

"Good," Edward said to him. "Every deal is good for the company."

If he expected more of a response then he was bound to be disappointed because Edward remained completely indifferent. Royce mumbled a disgruntled goodbye and walked over to the elevator. I returned straight back to my desk, but Edward waited until he was gone before moving a muscle.

He walked over to my desk and crouched down beside me. "What happened?" His eyes were studying my face for the truth.

"Nothing much," I lied and Edward noticed.

"Bella?" he asked softly. "Tell me what he said to you."

"It was just a different version of the same creepy come on. He can't seem to take the hint. It's no big deal." I looked up and saw Edward staring at me. "I wouldn't… even when I thought you hated me… I would never… he gives me the creeps."

"And that's it?" he asked as if he knew there was something I wasn't telling him.

"Thanks to Alice, yes," I told him and he frowned. "Alice interrupted him…"

"Interrupted him doing what?" he asked, tense and rigid again. "Bella, what did she interrupt?"

"Can we talk about this another time?" I asked and he sighed.

"Don't shut me out," he whispered and this time I sighed.

"I don't want you to get all angry again," I admitted. "And it was nothing much… he just thinks I'm interested, Edward and I think he was going to… maybe he might have… shit I don't know. Please can we drop it?"

"For now," he said, his voice strained. "But if he does or says _anything_ else to make you feel uncomfortable, please tell me." He glanced quickly around the room and then squeezed my hand. "Or Phil if you'd prefer."

"I'd rather not tell Phil anything, for now at least." I could see how worked up Edward was over this and I certainly didn't want to make it more of a drama. I tried to reassure him, "Edward, Royce King is basically just an opportunistic whore. Everyone knows he's cheated on his fiancée so many times and there are more than enough girls out there that _want_ to sleep with him… I'm sure he'll lose interest when he realizes it's not happening with me."

"His fiancée is Peter Hale's daughter," he said and I nodded. "And now Peter has retired he might be trying to make sure he still has support from the right people. You're Phil's stepdaughter." He kept hold of my hand.

"I'll tell Phil if he doesn't get the hint soon, okay?"

"Please do, Bella." Edward nodded and released my hand. "I should get back to work."

"Do you want a coffee or anything?" I asked, standing up but he stopped me.

"I'll get it." He chuckled and then asked super politely, "Miss Swan, can I get you a drink of coffee?"

"Cinnamon is good." I laughed and watched in amusement as he brought the drink over. "Well, would you look at that? Mr. Cullen is being helpful."

"Don't expect it too often, I have a reputation as a cockhead to uphold." He winked and went back to his desk.

TBMOA

"Is everything okay?" Emily watched as I pushed my lunch around my plate. "You seemed… weird when Royce King came to see Mr. Cullen."

"Thanks to Alice it was nothing really." I looked up at her and shrugged. "He gives me the creeps."

"You can talk to me, Bella." She smiled sweetly. "Friend to friend."

"I don't know… I guess he just doesn't seem to get that I'm not interested." I gave up trying to eat, my appetite had totally vanished. "He's touchy-feely and after Thursday I just feel even more uneasy around him."

_Shit._

"What happened on Thursday?" she asked.

"Um…" I hesitated.

"Bella?"

"I went out with Amber and Carmen," I said quietly. "I had one glass of champagne when we first got there and then nothing else. I bumped into Royce at the bar, he bought us a drink, we talked for a few minutes and then I left him there."

"Okay." She frowned. "What happened?"

"Someone sent us a drink and like an idiot I drank it. I don't know who sent it or what was in it, but the girls were convinced it was Royce. I came over all weird and ended up feeling so sick and disoriented. I fell asleep on the bathroom floor and it was lunchtime before I woke up." I saw Emily's eyes widen. "I think that maybe I was… um…"

"You think you were drugged?" she gasped. "Did you call the police, Bella?"

"No… I mean nothing happened to me, the girls took me home." I shook my head. "And what was I going to say? A man I never saw bought me a drink and I think I might have been drugged but I'm really not sure?"

"You tell them about Royce," she said fiercely.

"Tell them what? A guy who has tried it on a few times was in the same club so it was probably him?" I almost laughed at the absurdity. "I should have been more careful."

"What happened when you got to work?" she whispered. "I mean, what did Mr. Cullen say?"

Now how was I going to handle this one?

"He sent me home and then made me work the time back on Saturday." I hoped it all sounded cool and collected.

Emily smirked. "Is that all you want to tell me?"

"Huh?"

"Mr. Cullen cancelled all of his appointments on Friday afternoon… I'm pretty sure he was gone most of the day." She laughed. "And you're totally blushing."

I groaned and banged my head on the table. "Emily," I whined. "It's not what you think."

"Are you two…?"

"No," I said insistently. "Mr. Cullen took me home after I threw up in the trashcan. I got the speech about being irresponsible blah, blah, blah… and then I think he realised I wasn't just hung over."

"You threw up in the trash can?" she asked, amused and I nodded. "I bet he went nuts!"

"Yup," I said. "I don't know what he did on Friday afternoon… I was pretty much unconscious."

"Are you going to tell Phil?" she asked and I shook my head. "Bella."

"Look, I don't want to go running to Phil every time something goes wrong. Everyone else seems to like Royce and save for a few people, nobody likes me. Can you imagine what's going to happen if word gets out that I accused him of something like that?" I groaned. "I'm sure he'll get the hint and it probably wasn't even him who sent the drink."

"Do you really believe that?" she asked doubtfully.

And the truth was I didn't…

_Edward…_

_Maybe I should just go to Phil and express my concern about King's interest? But she doesn't want him involved—she's so fucking stubborn. I don't get his interest… well I do, I mean of course I see his interest but still to drug her when she's with her friends? That I don't get. If he looks at her the wrong way again I'll tell Phil and if he lays a finger on her… I'll fucking kill him._

* * *

**The Royce thing is a part of the upcoming story, but for now I think it's time for some fun with E&B :)**

**I'd love to know what you're thinking and if you're interested, there will be a teaser for next weeks chapter in the facebook group MrsK81 Fic.**

**More to come next week!**

**xoxoxoxox**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks to Kitty & Mary for all of their help, I love those ladies hard!**

**I own nothing but did I even need to say that? **

**Chapter 12**

_Do you have plans tonight? E x_

I was just getting ready to leave for the day and it had been a tough one. I was tired, creeped out because of Royce and to top it all off I was flustered, horny, and getting impatient.

_I do as a matter of fact. B x_

I didn't look up as I sent the message but I could almost picture the scowl on his face and sure enough a curt reply came a few seconds later.

_Make sure you email me my schedule for tomorrow before you leave. E _

I chuckled to myself; it was so easy to get a reaction out of him.

_Aren't you going to ask me what my plans are? B x_

_No. E x_

_OMG, you're such a sulky Sally! Ask me… please? B x_

_Fine. Bella, please tell me what your plans are tonight? E x_

_I have a date with this really cute but sulky guy. B x_

_Oh really? And what can this cute but sulky guy expect from this date? E x_

_Check your coat pocket… I think that should be all the information you need. The schedule is already in your inbox. Call me when you're done here, okay? B x_

I pulled my jacket tight around me and giggled as I walked to the elevator sans underwear, which was now sitting in Edward's coat pocket. I wasn't even a single floor down when my phone buzzed.

_I'm done here. E x_

_Eager much? Go to your hotel and I'll be there in an hour. B x_

_An hour is too long, Bella. I can't wait. E x_

_Well you're going to have to, Mr. Cullen. B x_

I raced home and just in case I ended up spending the night again, I grabbed my overnight bag and an outfit for work the next morning. I was just about to get in the shower when Amber strolled into my bedroom.

"Bella?"

"In here," I called from the bathroom.

I closed the shower door and she sat on the toilet. "I take it you're seeing him again tonight?"

"Definitely." I peeked out of the shower and she was grinning.

"So what was he like at work?" she asked. "Still an asshole or did he act civil to you?"

"He kept it professional most of the time," I told her, laughing to myself when I thought of the underwear incident.

"So what happened while we were away?"

"He walked me home after I woke up in his hotel and we sort of cleared the air. I had to work Saturday to make some of the time back that I missed on Friday and I decided to torment him a little. I wore that sheer white shirt and sexy underwear." I heard Amber laugh. "Could you pass me a towel, I'm done."

She held one out to me. "Oh, the poor guy. He really had no idea who he was getting involved with did he? So how long did you make him suffer? I mean I know he was here Sunday, but you made him wait, right?"

"Um… not exactly," I said sheepishly. "I was planning to but…"

"Bella," she groaned. "Did you fuck him at work?"

"A little bit," I admitted. "It was totally his fault; he went all assertive and demanding on the telephone and..."

"And your clothes just undressed themselves?" She laughed. "Or did you do it?"

"No, no, he did that part." I smirked. "In his office, while I was sitting on his desk."

"Nice," she said with an approving nod of her head.

"It really fucking was, Amber." I sighed. "Then he took me to dinner at Vasqualia on Saturday night."

"Wow, he got reservations at Vasqualia?" She followed me back out into my bedroom and sat on the bed. "Now what's the deal?"

"Well, no one can know what's going on obviously. So I'm just taking each day as it comes." I shrugged.

"And the fact that he was an absolute asshole to you?"

"We've talked about a lot of stuff this weekend, Amber. I'm not making excuses, I've told him he was a cockhead and he's apologised. I know why he's like he is and I get it… you would too if you knew what he'd been through." I sat down beside her. "With everything going on with my family right now I just want something fun and believe me, being with Edward is a lot of fun."

"And when this whole independent, working thing is over?"

"I guess that's a bridge we cross when we get to it." I tried to sound casual but she saw straight through me.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Bella. I can see you're crazy about this guy and what if his reasons for secrecy are different to yours? What are you going to do if he doesn't see this as anything more than… just sex?"

"I don't know." Admittedly, that prospect bothered me immensely and I wasn't sure what else there was to say. Amber put her arm around my shoulders and we sat there for a few minutes silently. Eventually, I pushed any concerns I had about Edward's long-term plans for us and stood up. "I need to get ready. He did a nice thing for me today so I want to _thank_ him."

She smiled. "What nice thing was that?"

"I spotted a manuscript that the editing team rejected and I told him it was good—he approved it and told everybody at the meeting that I caught it."

"So maybe he's not so bad." She winked.

I dried my hair quickly and pinned it back. Amber was still sitting on my bed telling me about the weekend trip to New York and how they were planning to go back in a few weeks. She repeatedly asked me to go and I repeatedly told her I couldn't afford to, she even offered to treat me to a few things but I still had that same aversion to that charity and that made her laugh.

"I hardly recognise you sometimes." She blew me a kiss. "But I think it's more you than the old you… if that makes sense?"

"Actually it makes perfect sense, Amber. It's only been six weeks and I feel like a completely different person." I grinned and asked her, "Will you drive me to the Fairmont? I know it's close by but I'd prefer not to walk."

"Sure," she said and whistled when I fished out my Victoria Secret, black lace baby doll and matching thong.

"He _really_ has no idea who he's dealing with, does he?"

I giggled. "I need to thank him."

"I think he'll be the one thanking you." She smirked. "What else are you wearing to torment the poor guy to death?"

I took out my knee-length, white wrap around coat and a pair of black pumps. "Just these." I winked. "That's why I need the ride to his place."

"I'll go and get my keys." She laughed.

The baby doll was something I'd bought on one of my frequent shopping sprees months ago, but never had the opportunity to use. It tied at the front with black ribbon and fell to mid-thigh. It was super cute and despite the fact I felt very exposed in that and just my coat I couldn't wait to see his reaction.

As we pulled up outside the hotel my phone went off.

_Tardiness isn't acceptable, Miss Swan. _

I smirked and put the phone back in my purse. "Shall I cook us dinner tomorrow night?" I asked Amber before I got out of the car.

"No." She shook her head. "Carmen and I were talking over the weekend and decided that as nice as your baked bean curry was, we're treating you to dinner."

I started to object but she held up her hand to shut me up. "We're not taking you out, Bella, relax. We're being supportive to your current situation so we're going to cook something for you." She smiled proudly.

"Really?" I asked. "Aw, you guys are the best. What are we having?"

"I have no idea… I'm in charge of the dessert." She laughed and added, "Carmen has spent most of the morning watching the cooking channels and making notes. It's either going to be wonderful or we'll spend the night in the hospital with food poisoning."

I hugged her. "I love you both so much."

My phone buzzed again as I walked into the hotel.

_This will be going into your review, Miss Swan. Tardiness and failure to complete assigned tasks. E x_

I laughed to myself and ignored it again. The elevator ride was amusing, I felt like everyone could tell I was just about naked underneath my coat and I blushed furiously. I kept my head down and hurried towards Edward's room as soon as the door opened.

I knocked once and waited, I could hear him talking inside the room. His voice grew louder and the door swung open to reveal Edward with the phone to his ear. I expected him to be all moody and tense because I was late, but he gave me a wonderful, lopsided smile and leaned forward to kiss my forehead softly.

I smiled and walked into the room. He was still in his work clothes, but the tie was gone and the top button of his shirt open.

"I heard that, too." He nodded in agreement to whatever was being said on the other end of the conversation. "It's not my department, Emmett, but I'll mention it to Phil. It's an opportunity that we can't miss."

I grabbed his free hand and walked him over to the bed. "I hope you won't be long," I whispered and he shook his head.

"Can you come to Seattle this weekend?" he asked whoever he was talking to. "We're throwing a retirement party for Peter Hale. You should come along and meet everybody. I know Phil is delighted you agreed to join us."

It was clear to me this conversation wasn't ending anytime soon, so I opened my coat slowly and let it drop to the floor. Edward's eyes widened and swallowed thickly.

"That's… um… yeah… that's good," he mumbled and then fell silent, eyeing me hungrily. "No Emmett, I'm still here."

I walked a few steps towards him and kissed his cheek. Maybe now was the time for _him_ to be quiet? I dropped to my knees and opened his pants, unable to stop the smug grin forming on my face as Edward continued to stutter and stammer his way through the conversation.

I saw him straining against his boxers and looked up to him in amusement. "Ready for me I see?"

"All day," he hissed. "No, sorry, Em… I was just… you were saying?"

"Poor guy," I whispered and pushed the material down.

I wrapped my hand around his dick and stroked up and down watching him as I did. He was seriously struggling to focus on the telephone call and I chuckled.

"Get as many details as you can about it and Phil can decide who he wants leading the pitch. I'd love the chance, but as I said it's not… fuck…" He almost dropped the phone when I wrapped my lips around him and his free hand held onto my head. "Goddamn, Bella."

I sucked and swirled my tongue around, feeling his fingers digging into my scalp as he tried to keep his balance.

"Shit," he breathed. "No not you… sorry, Em. Jesus… Emmett, I need to call you back."

He threw the phone on the bed with a growl. "That was an important call," he said shakily.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen." I pulled back and looked up at him innocently. "Shall I stop?"

"Don't fucking stop." He shook his head. "Please don't stop."

I smiled smugly and took him in my mouth again. I dragged my fingernails down the fronts of his thighs and could feel his entire body stiffen. His hips started to thrust and his hold on my head tightened, softly moving it back and forth.

"Jesus, Bella, that feels so damned good," he moaned and his eyes fluttered closed. "So fucking good."

I hummed in agreement and he swore again, his body was starting to tremble and his gentle movements faltered. My jaw was starting to ache, but there was no way I was stopping, it was so good to have him completely at my mercy.

I moved that little bit faster, sucked that little bit harder and almost straight away his moans grew louder. "Fuck," he panted. "I'm going to come… Bella…"

I felt his hands start to move my face but I knocked them away with my own hands as I had no intention of stopping. His breathing was erratic and he put his hands back on my head, steadying himself. He groaned loudly as he came, warm bursts hit the back of my throat and I tried to ignore the bitterness as I swallowed.

When I was sure he was done, I tugged the pants off his legs completely. "You really don't need those on tonight, Edward." I winked and he smiled. His eyes were heavy and he was breathing hard. "I'm sorry for interrupting your phone call."

"Believe me it was worth it." He pulled me to my feet and kissed me. "I do need to call him back though, but he can wait for now."

"Call him now." I sat on the bed and passed him his phone. "We've got _all_ night."

"Yeah, I saw the bag." He grinned. "How long do you plan on staying?"

"After this morning I wasn't taking any chances so I have my clothes for tomorrow morning… just in case." I winked and he laughed.

"No _in case_ about it. You're spending the night again." He kissed my cheek. "I still have a challenge to win."

"Not gonna happen," I teased.

"We'll see." He sat down beside me and passed me a menu. "Will you order dinner?"

"Sure. What do you want?"

"It's all good here. You choose." He lay down and ran his fingers up and down my arm. "You came to the hotel wearing just that underneath your coat? I'm not sure I like the idea of that."

"Don't worry, Amber drove me here." I grinned. "I wanted to thank you for earlier."

"I should be thanking you," he murmured, kissing my shoulder and neck.

His lips moved up to my face, brushing against my cheek and across my jaw to my lips. "Maybe I should make the call later," he said huskily, tugging on the ribbon.

"No, call him now. I'd rather not have any interruptions tonight." I swatted his hand away before he opened the front completely. "I'll order dinner and you make the call, Mr. Cullen. You can unwrap this later."

"I intend on unwrapping it many, many times, Bella. You look incredible." He rubbed his forehead and then returned his attention to the phone call. "Emmett? Sorry about that."

I could hear a man laughing and whatever else he said clearly embarrassed Edward, because his cheeks tinged pink and he glanced in my direction. I laughed to myself and looked through the room service menu. Edward was right, everything did sound delicious, but I chose a simple margarita pizza over any of the other dishes. I saw Edward turn up his nose when I ordered it and laughed.

"What?"

"That's a little bland don't you think?" he muttered, moving the phone from his ear. He looked so fucking cute lying back on the bed with just his shirt and socks on.

"But what if we get a little distracted?" I whispered and climbed to straddle him. "We can eat the pizza cold… we can even eating it without leaving the bed."

"On second thoughts, pizza never sounded more appealing." He smirked and then scowled. "You think they'll get them to agree exclusivity that soon?"

I opened the buttons on his shirt and pushed it open. He had a lovely chest and stomach—defined, smooth and hard but not overly muscular. I leaned forward and placed a kiss on the bottom of his neck and then sat back, just watching him.

"I'll make sure I tell Phil first thing tomorrow morning and see how he wants to go forward. My suggestion would be to arrange a meeting in person at the beginning of next week. We know he's out of the country until Sunday, so we at least have room to play with." One of Edward's hands caught mine and he laced our fingers together. "Would that work for you, Emmett?"

I wondered idly who Emmett was, I'd certainly never heard of him at D.D.C. I got the impression Edward's relationship with him was not just a professional one. There was a familiarity to his voice when he talked to him, and he even smiled his cute, Edward smile and not the cold Mr. Cockhead smile I'd seen for so many weeks up until this weekend.

"I agree that's the best way to move on this. I'm sure I'll ruffle a few feathers trying to run point, but the man whose department it is, doesn't have a chance of landing the deal. I'll call you with more detail tomorrow, Em." Edward laughed at something Emmett said and then told him, "If you can behave then maybe on Saturday I'll introduce you."

As soon as he hung up I asked, "Who's Emmett?"

"We worked together in Chicago. Emmett McCarty was my right hand man when it came to putting contracts together and negotiating media rights. He studied law but was more interested in this kind of work." He looked down at our entwined fingers and smiled. "When I took the job here, I made sure Phil knew he was an asset to any company. It's been a slower transition but he starts with us next week—you didn't hear that from me of course. I think they were planning on officially announcing his arrival on Friday."

"He's your friend?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, we've known each other since college." He took hold of my other hand and brought them both to his mouth. "He's the complete opposite to me."

"In what way?"

"He's a big idiot for starters," he chuckled. "He's easy going and knows how to differentiate between work and real life. I have difficulty with that. Some even say I don't know how to kick back and enjoy myself."

I shook my head and leaned forward to kiss him. "If only they could see you now," I said against his mouth.

"I'd rather they didn't." His kisses were hungry now. "Not when you look like that… this cute fucking dress is for my eyes only."

He released my hair and it tumbled forward over our faces. I sat back and shook it out of my way and his eyes dropped to the black ribbon holding the front of the baby doll together. I reached forward and pulled it open slowly, as soon as it was open, Edward pushed it all the way off my shoulders.

"How the fuck did I manage to stay away from you for so long?" he whispered and rolled me onto my back. "I can't get enough of you, Bella."

As he kissed me, he wiggled my underwear down and then drew one finger between my legs. I heard him swear under his breath and then he dipped his head capturing my nipple between his lips. I arched my back against the bed and moaned shamefully loudly as he pushed two long fingers inside me.

"Edward," I breathed and grabbed a handful of his hair, tugging on it hard.

There was a loud knock on the door followed by an announcement that room service was here. I laughed as he swore and stumbled out of bed. He yanked up his boxer shorts and opened the door just enough to poke his head through. "Just leave it outside. Do you need me to sign?"

I jumped out of bed and walked behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. As soon as the waiter left, Edward wheeled the trolley into the room and then slammed the door. He picked me up and all but threw me back down onto the bed.

"See I told you pizza was a good choice," I said and he laughed. "Halibut doesn't taste as good cold."

Edward kissed me, and hitched one of my legs up and over his waist. "Right now, food is the last thing on my mind, Bella." With one thrust of his hips he pushed into me.

"Oh my God," I moaned and Edward lifted my leg even higher. "Jesus, Edward."

Each thrust drove me wild because it was like nothing else, he was hitting places I had no idea even existed. Edward's mouth kissed all over my face and down my neck. His teeth nibbled on my skin and with one more deep thrust of those magical fucking hips I felt my entire body clamp down around him.

I was breathing hard and my heart pounding in my chest. I was still holding onto Edward's shoulders tightly my nails digging into his skin and unwilling to let him go. Even though I'd just had another indescribable orgasm at the hands… or _cock_ of Mr. Cockhead himself, I was still greedily taking whatever he left had to give. The nibbles on my neck intensified and his legs stiffened, so I knew he was close, but as he bit down harder on my neck I felt another wave building in the pit of my stomach.

He dropped one hand between our sweaty bodies and rubbed my clit. I arched to his touch and called out his name. Again, I was hit with an intense orgasm and with one loud, "Fuck," he came, his entire body shaking.

With a spent sigh, he let my leg drop back down and rolled us over, not quite judging where we were on the bed and we fell to the floor with a thud.

"Fuck... ow," he muttered, but I could hear the smile in his voice. "That wasn't so smooth I guess?"

"Not so much." I giggled and kissed him. "Are you okay?"

"I may have damaged my pride more than anything else." He smirked. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"Not at all," I said and lay down beside him on the floor, a thought occurring to me. "Edward?"

"Mm?" he asked, still slightly out of breath.

"You still have your socks on." I burst out laughing. "That's _so_ sexy."

"Well, we can't all pull off lingerie that would tempt a catholic priest out of their vow of celibacy," he grumbled and sat up so he could pull off his black socks. "It's your fault."

"How is it my fault?" I asked incredulously

"You leave me your fucking underwear in my pocket at work and then turn up here like some beautiful, sexy, goddess and you expect me to remember that I still have socks on?" He hovered over me, a few rogue hairs tickling my face. "Bella, it's a goddamn challenge to remember my own name when you're within two feet of me."

"So you don't want me to wear the baby doll again?" I asked innocently.

"You're wearing it again at least twice more tonight, Miss Swan." He kissed the tip of my nose and helped me to my feet. "But right now I want to eat cold pizza in bed with you."

TBMOA

The cold pizza was delicious, even Edward admitted so and then we took a not-so innocent shower together. Edward soapy and wet was something else to add to the list of unbelievably sexy looks on him. Afterwards, we started watching a movie, my baby doll back in place and Edward's fingers lingering really close to the tie. I was quite looking forward to unwrapping number two, but before Edward got the chance I must have fallen asleep. I woke up and the television was off and Edward was sitting up in bed, reading over some manuscripts.

"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"About two-thirty." He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "We both fell asleep and when I woke up the movie was finished."

"So you decided to start working?" I pulled a face and he laughed.

"I left the office earlier without reading these." He pointed to a handful of files beside him on the bed. "I figured I'd read them now before I went back to sleep."

I sat up and kissed his back. "How much longer will you be?"

"I'm on the last one," he said. "It's actually good."

"What's it about?" I rested my chin on his shoulder.

"A political thriller." He kissed my forehead. "Conspiracies, murders, and cover ups. It's my kind of story."

"What's your absolute favourite book? One that you go back to over and over again?" I asked, mesmerised by his long dark eyelashes. The more I stared, the more I wondered how I'd never actually noticed them before. He was so beautiful it actually fucking hurt.

"Treasure Island," he said and laughed at my shocked expression. "My mother used to read it to me and it reminds me of happy times. I still have the same battered old copy that I read—it was one of the only things my father didn't sell."

"It's nice that you still have it though," I murmured. "I'd love something like that… a well-loved copy of a classic story. I used to beg my mother to take me to charity shops so I could hunt out old second-hand books because all of ours were new and in perfect condition. It just didn't have the same appeal for me. Folded pages and faded covers—it tells its own story don't you think?"

"You never fail to surprise me," he whispered, a strange look on his face. "How did I have you so fucking wrong, Bella?"

"It's happened for most of my life, Edward." I shrugged. "I guess I just gave up trying to put people right—it was easier to let them go along with the opinion they first had. It never made a difference to me… until now at least."

He nodded once, still staring at me like he was searching for an answer to something he hadn't actually asked.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked him nervously.

"Of course."

"What would you have done if I hadn't turned up as your new assistant? After that first night, would you have just left it as that or would you have called?" I wasn't sure why I was asking him or if I wanted an honest answer.

"That night was…" He smiled. "Believe me, I _would_ have called. There was no way you were getting away."

_Good answer._

"That's good to know." I let my nose drag lightly across his shoulders and I heard the file close. "Are you done?"

He turned around and yanked open the ribbon with a smirk. "Not quite yet."

_Edward…_

_Only Bella could make the prospect of cold, bland food sound appealing. Everything she did was fucking appealing. Maybe I should just keep her locked in my hotel room in that fucking lingerie whenever we weren't in the office? What was she doing to me? Or what had she already done? Oh, fuck…_

* * *

**A/N **

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I don't get around to replies all that often, but please note I read and appreciate every one. This will probably be the last update until the New Year… if I can update before I will, but I'm not sure if I'll have chance.**

**There will be a teaser for the next chapter going up in the facebook group MrsK81Fic if you want to have a look.**

**To all of you who celebrate, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and I'll see you in 2014 **

**Katy**

**xoxo**


	13. Chapter 13

**An early update that I couldn't have posted without the wonderful Kitty & Mary. I have so much gratitude for those ladies I can't even say.**

**Chapter 13**

I woke up alone the next morning to the sound of my annoying alarm. I turned it off and sat up, wondering where the hell Edward was.

"Edward?" I called out, but there was nothing except silence. "He left? Asshole."

As much as I doubted his chances of victory, I was looking forward to his attempt at winning the challenge he'd set to get morning sex. With a huff, I lay back down, pouting and rolled over onto his side, which was cold. Wherever he was, he'd been gone for a while, and then I noticed a piece of paper on the pillow.

_Bella,_

_I had to go to work early to meet with Phil. You had a talkative night again and I didn't want to disturb you. I've ordered breakfast for you; it should be there for 6.30am. _

_I'll probably still be with Phil when you get to the office so cancel this morning's meeting with the editorial team._

_Edward_

Talkative? Again?

I felt embarrassed at the idea of sleep-talking in front of Edward and I hoped it wasn't anything humiliating. It was 6.15am, so I got ready quickly making sure I could leave as soon as I'd finished breakfast.

I didn't expect Edward would have taken the time to eat before he went to the meeting so I wrapped a few things up and took them with me to work. Just as he said, Edward was not back from his meeting, so I put the breakfast on his desk and then rang to let the rest of the guys know there was no meeting this morning.

Just before 8.15am Phil called and asked me to come to his office. I immediately thought he knew what was going on between Edward and me, and started racking my brains to think of convincing stories to keep Edward out of trouble.

My hands were sweating and I felt sick as I approached Mrs. Goff's desk.

"Morning, Bella." She smiled. "How are you?"

"Nervous," I admitted. "Do you know what this is about?"

"No. Edward was in with Phil when I arrived and I've put several calls through to them but other than that, he specifically asked not to be disturbed." She rang through to Phil. "Mr. Dwyer, I have Miss Swan here to see you."

He told Mrs. Goff to send me straight in and the nausea and nerves doubled instantly. Phil was sitting at his desk with Edward opposite him. I couldn't meet Edward's eye, and I mumbled a shy hello as I sat down beside him.

"Hello, Miss Swan," Edward said politely.

"Good morning, Isabella." Phil smiled.

"Morning," I said, hearing the noticeable shake in my voice. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all." He laughed. "This is the kind of meeting I like to have. We have a huge opportunity coming up."

"Opportunity?" I asked.

"I heard whisperings a few weeks ago that there was a man, who for the time being needs to remain nameless. He claims to have proof and first-hand knowledge about some very questionable and controversial antics of an extremely high-profile man, who also needs to remain nameless for now. He has photographs, emails, and recordings to substantiate the claims and we need to verify his story." Phil looked like he was about to burst with excitement. "The nameless man wants to publish this story, and thanks to Edward and his contacts in Chicago we have the first opportunity to speak to him."

"Okay," I said, not sure where I fit into all of this.

"Bringing him to us is out of the question as he's keeping a low profile, so we need to send someone from our company to meet him. Obviously this kind of book wouldn't ordinarily be Edward's department, it would be King's, but I'm not willing to let him deal with it. I'd take the lead myself, but I don't want to draw any attention to the story and my flying out to San Francisco to meet this man, could do just that and if our rivals find out, they could scupper our chances." Phil pointed to Edward and added, "Edward needs to be in San Francisco to talk in person with him, and as his assistant, I need you there to support him."

"I have to go to San Francisco?" I asked and he nodded. "Oh, okay."

"We'll fly you both out Monday morning and I expect you should only need to be there two nights at most, but if needed you're to stay out there as long as it takes. That's not a problem, right?"

"No." I shook my head. "Not at all."

"Good." He clapped his hands. "Keep this to yourself for now. No one can know about the prospect and Edward will fill you in on the details on the flight so you're up to speed. "

"Okay."

_A trip to another city… just me and Edward… holy shit._

"We'll be meeting Emmett McCarty out there. He's joining the company this week as part of the legal team. Phil was planning on introducing him to everyone at the party, so you'll meet him officially before we leave," Edward said Emmett's name deliberately slowly as if to remind me of the conversation last night.

_So maybe not just me and Edward._

"I'll have Mrs. Goff make the flight and hotel reservations then email you the details. Make sure you keep this to yourself. We'll explain your absence on Monday as a meeting with another potential client, but I don't want anyone else to suspect anything." Phil drummed his fingers on the desk. "I take it McCarty understands the importance of our discretion?"

"Of course. I trust him implicitly." Edward sounded confident and evidently Phil agreed.

"Very good." He nodded and then clapped his hands. "We have to treat this one with kid gloves, take the softly, softly approach."

"It's not illegal though?" I blurted out.

"Not in this case. We've had our legal team make sure of that." Phil smiled. "You don't need to worry about the specifics. Let us deal with the legality and Edward with securing the contract. You're just there for anything else he might need."

"Absolutely." I bit back a smirk. "_Anything_ he needs."

Edward was very purposely staring straight ahead. "Is that all, Phil?"

"For now." He nodded and then held up his hand. "Actually, there was one more thing. It's about Saturday night—the party for Peter and Mrs. Goff."

"Oh?" Edward asked.

"Irina was wondering if you were taking anyone with you? Only, she was hoping you'd accompany her daughter, Kate."

My smirk vanished and I stiffened as I waited to hear Edward's response.

"Kate?" he asked anxiously. "Well, I actually planned to… can I give it some thought? I hadn't really expected to take anyone with it being a work function. I was going to use the time to get to know some of the other people here."

Phil shrugged. "Whatever you prefer, Edward. Just let Irina know."

"I will." Edward glanced at me for a fraction of a millisecond.

"I take it you'll be there on Saturday night?" Phil asked me and I nodded. "You missed dinner at the Four Seasons on Sunday."

"Um, yeah I was busy," I mumbled and pushed a few rogue strands of hair behind my ear. "Maybe next time."

"Your mother was… what's that on your neck?" Phil's eyes zeroed in on me.

"Um…" My hand immediately reached for the reddish bruise that I _assumed_ my blouse had covered about halfway down my neck. "I… um…"

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Phil asked in amusement and I felt my face burning. "This is the first I've heard of a boyfriend. Does your mother know?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," I mumbled and glanced at Edward who was doing a better job than me at keeping his composure. "It's no big deal."

"Judging by the mark on your neck, I'd say it was a very big deal," Phil chuckled. "Just be thankful this is me asking and not your father. Does he know about this mystery boy?"

"No, Phil. There's no mystery boy, please can we let it go?" I felt like I was giving off every non-verbal sign that Edward was the neck-biter and I was desperate for the conversation to change.

"Come on, Bella, you're blushing like mad." Phil smiled. "Who is he?"

"Seriously, Phil, you want to talk about this right _now?_" I hissed. "It really is not a big deal and I don't think talking about it in front of Mr. Cullen is appropriate."

Phil chuckled. "Just curious, Bella. I didn't think you'd have time for a boyfriend with how hard Mr. Cullen works you. Can we expect to meet him on Saturday?"

"No," I said curtly.

"I give you permission to get to the bottom of this, Edward." Phil winked and Edward laughed nervously.

I shook my head and looked down at my lap. "Shall I get back?"

"Both of you can, we're done here." Phil smiled and walked with us to the elevator. "Keep me informed of anything else you hear, Edward. Might I also suggest taking Kate to the party, she can certainly turn heads."

"I'll give it some thought." Edward nodded and as soon as the doors closed he grabbed my hand. "I'll fix this, I promise, Bella."

I shrugged, trying to act aloof, but the thought of him taking another girl made me nauseous. "It's cool, Edward. Take whoever you like."

"That's not going to happen," he said quietly. "The only person I'd like to take is you and if I can't do that, I'd rather go alone."

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Then we can go alone… together."

"I think Phil's expecting the mystery boyfriend to make an appearance." He grinned and then touched the offending mark. "You couldn't hide that?"

"I thought my shirt covered it. Besides, you didn't have to brand me, Edward. I thought you were a man… not vampire." I nudged him playfully and then we stepped apart when the doors opened and I followed him out into the hall.

As soon as we approached his office I said, "I put some breakfast on your desk. I assumed you skipped breakfast."

"Yes I did. Thank you," he said and held open the door for me to go inside. "Can I take you to dinner tonight?"

I shook my head. "Not tonight, sorry. I'm having dinner with Amber and Carmen."

"Okay," he mumbled and I felt bad, which he noticed. "I'll just catch up on work tonight. How about tomorrow?"

"I'd like that." I smiled.

"And you can wear that cute little dress that you wore last night." He waggled his eyebrows and I laughed.

"That's still in your hotel room. I'd say have fun with it, but then I picture you wearing it… not so sexy."

"Yeah, I doubt I'd look as good as you do in it." This time Edward laughed and it still made me feel weirdly happy to hear.

"I'll let you get to work," I told him and he nodded. "Do you need anything else?"

"Not at the moment. Let me know when you get our itinerary from Mrs. Goff and I'll update Emmett." He sat behind his desk and then added, "Could you reschedule the meeting we missed this morning for tomorrow? I have a lot to try and catch up on."

"Of course." I watched him turn his attention to his lap top and stood there, just staring and thinking about the night before. I also wondered if I'd be able to invite Edward to dinner with the girls, I didn't particularly like the idea of not seeing him but at the same time I didn't want him to realize just how badly I'd got it for him. I really was in dangerous territory.

Maybe I could swing by his hotel after dinner when the girls were asleep?

After a few minutes he looked up. "I really have work to do and if you keep looking at me like that I think something other than work is likely to happen, Bella." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry I was just… I'll go." I blushed and scurried out of the office.

As we both had a lot of work to catch up on, we didn't speak much for the rest of the day, but I did get one or two sulky text messages trying to persuade me to see him instead of having dinner with the girls. The more he tried to convince me, the more I was adamant I wasn't yielding.

A little after five-thirty, I took him the manuscripts as was his normal routine. I also had the itinerary from Mrs. Goff in my hand; Phil was putting us up at the Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco for two nights; with the possibility of a longer stay if necessary.

_God, I hope it's necessary…_

"Are you leaving?" Edward asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, unless you need anything else?"

"No," he said glumly. "I've been trying to think of things to keep you here longer—then I figured that made me a cockhead again so I'll just wait patiently until tomorrow."

"Do you even know what patience is?" I laughed. "Here are the manuscripts for you to read through and our itinerary for next week. We're in the Mandarin Oriental and apparently that's where our contact is also staying. You get a suite and I get a standard… so we're not exactly in adjoining rooms."

"Doesn't matter. You'll be with me anyway," he said casually. "Obviously we'll keep the room for appearances sake, but you won't be sleeping there."

"That works for me," I told him happily. "We fly at six-fifteen on Monday and we have to confirm the return flight as soon as we know when we're ready to leave."

He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "I don't think we'll be finished on Wednesday… it's going to be a tough negotiation. If I were him I'd hold out for as long as I could and get the best deal. If I had to guess I'd say we'll be out there most of the week."

I nodded, feeling increasingly more excited about this little trip. I knew it was entirely business, but not needing to worry about people noticing something was going on sounded pretty fucking good.

"I'm stealing you tomorrow night as soon as we're done here," he told me and grinned. "I have something to show you."

"Oh really?" I teased and he laughed.

"I'm disappointed in your one-track mind, Miss Swan." He winked. "Actually, it's a surprise… more for me than you, but I'd like your opinion. You seem to be the only person who doesn't sugar coat things for me and I appreciate your honesty."

"Whatever you want, Mr. Cullen." I dropped the files onto his desk and backed away towards the door. "Have a good night."

"I don't expect it will be a fraction as entertaining as last night," he said, sulking again. "Think of me stuck here alone eating take out while you are enjoying your home-cooked dinner, Bella."

"Hey, this is their first time cooking, Edward. I might be joining you for that take out if it turns out badly." I smiled. "Bye."

He nodded once and then I closed the door quickly before I changed my mind… God he was hard to walk away from.

TBMOA

"Here you go," Carmen said excitedly as we all sat down to eat. "I'm so proud of this. I literally spent all day slaving over the stove. I'd make a terrible house wife."

To give my amazing friends credit, the dinner was surprisingly great. Carmen had made us a simple but tasty sweet potato casserole and Amber's dessert was simply divine.

"Oh my God," I said with my mouth full of her chocolate masterpiece. "That is just… oh my fucking God. It's almost orgasmic. You should have been a chef, Amber. Shit, that's perfect."

It was a Chocolate Fondant with rich, gooey, chocolate in the centre and a side serving of strawberries. If I could just smother this all over Edward and then eat it, then that would make it the most delicious thing on the planet.

"Do you want to tell her?" Carmen said, sounding rather unimpressed. "Or shall I?"

"Tell me what?" I asked and Amber looked at me sheepishly. "Tell me what, Amber?"

"So, I tried making the dessert, but with Carmen hogging the kitchen all day, it left me with like an hour to make it from scratch. I had no idea what to do, so I called in a favour at Daddy's favourite restaurant. They delivered this little treat about twenty minutes before you got home… all I had to do was serve it. Sorry."

"She totally cheated, Bella," Carmen said and I laughed.

"Fuck it." I shrugged. "That was one of the best dinners I've ever had."

"You're only saying that because you're not getting and Edward action tonight. The chocolate has become your substitute for Bosscock." Carmen shot back and I nodded.

"I can't even deny it."

We all started laughing and then I helped clean up. I told them about my upcoming trip to San Francisco and they immediately started planning what outfits I needed to take with me. I let them have their fun, more interested in the clothes-less fun I'd get to enjoy with Edward.

Afterwards, we decided to watch a movie. I was exhausted, another night with not so much sleep meant I barely even saw the start. Amber woke me up at about eleven and she and Carmen looked highly amused.

"What?" I mumbled sleepily. "Why did you wake me up?"

"How did you not wake yourself?" Carmen snickered. "You were really fucking talkative there, Bella."

"Talkative?" I rubbed my eyes. "What do you mean? Was I dreaming?"

"I don't know what was going on in your head, but the sleep-talking thing that used to be cute just escalated to a whole new level." Amber was trying not to laugh, but failing and I was growing increasingly annoyed.

"Look, if you're just going to sit there and talk in code, I'm going to bed." I stood up and stomped to my room.

"So you're in love with him, huh?" Amber asked and I spun around, my eyes wide.

"What?" I heard the panic in my voice, but my so-called friends seemed to find it amusing.

"You were arguing with yourself. _ I think I love him. Yeah, I love him. Don't be ridiculous, of course you don't love him._" Carmen was giggling. "It was so funny."

"I didn't?" I said in horror and they both nodded. "Shit!"

"I hope Edward is a heavy sleeper, Bella," Amber said and I groaned. "What?"

"I've already done it in front of him." I slapped my forehead. "More than once he's mentioned it. Fuck, fuck, fuck! What if I said _that_? I'm totally going to freak him out."

"Maybe, maybe not," Amber said and walked over to me. "If it freaked him out, he hasn't said anything or acted any differently right?"

"No," I mumbled.

"Then either you didn't say that, or if you did… he might have liked hearing it." Carmen squeezed my hand. "I think you're safe."

"I wish I had your confidence." I sighed. "I'm not though, right? Oh shit, I am, aren't I?"

"Are you what? In love with him?" Amber asked and I nodded. "I don't know, Bella. You seemed pretty unsure about it when you were asleep."

"I like him. I _really_ like him but it's too soon to be love. I can't love him yet, I just can't." I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. "Fuck."

"You're in deep shit, Bella." Amber put her arm around my shoulders. "You do know that, right?"

"I know." I sighed.

"It could work out," Carmen offered helpfully. "There was definitely something between you that night in the club."

"Lust? Horniness?" I shook my head.

"Carmen's right, but you need to talk to Edward, Bella," Amber's voice was soft now, not a hint of amusement. My situation must have been really dire for both girls to have turned so… heavy.

"I mean, it's work that is the complication here. Maybe if you got another job?" Carmen suggested and Amber nodded.

"I've actually started to really like my job, guys—even without Edward. Besides, it's not just work that's the complication, it's Phil. Edward's driven, he wants to get to the top and Phil's grooming him for his job. Even if I left, even if us working together wasn't an issue anymore, I don't think Edward's the kind of guy who'd want the stigma that goes with dating the boss's step-daughter. He'd want people to think he earned his position, not slept his way there." I shook my head. "I need to sleep. I just can't think about this now."

"Just talk to him, Bella. Then, if he's not where you are, you can end it now. The longer you keep this going, the more you'll end up hurt and the harder it's going to be to stay working for him." Amber followed me over to my bedroom door.

"Yeah, you're right." I nodded. "But I can't do it now—maybe when we get back from San Francisco. I don't think rocking the boat right now is a good idea. This trip could be a huge deal for D.D.H and I'd hate to be the one who wrecked it just so I could have the heavy talk with my boss who I may or may not be in love with."

This did make them laugh and I had to agree it was so absurd it was laughable. I fell onto my bed with an exasperated sigh. "Thanks for dinner, guys, but I'm beat."

"You're welcome, Bella. It was a lot of fun." Amber closed my door, but all of a sudden I wasn't so tired.

I picked up my phone and noticed Edward had texted me while I was sleeping.

_I decided against take out at the office and came back home instead. Unfortunately, reading manuscripts & eating cold hotel food in bed is a lot less fun when you're not here. E x_

_Of course it isn't, I'm awesome in every possible way. My night, on the other hand, was a lot of fun. B x_

I barely had to wait a minute for his reply.

_You knowing your high level of awesomeness should make you less awesome. Yet, if possible it makes you even more awesome. E x_

I smiled. _I have levels of awesome you haven't even discovered yet. B x_

_I don't doubt that for a second, Bella. Go to sleep, you won't be getting much tomorrow. E x_

_I look forward to it, Mr. Cullen. B x_

I snuggled under the covers and my eyes started drooping. A few simple text messages from Edward and everything seemed so unimportant. It didn't take a genius to work out why that was the case.

I was _so_ in love with him, there was no point even trying to convince myself otherwise.

_Edward…_

_This deal is huge, by far the biggest of my career, and yet somehow, the only thing I'm focusing on is the fact I'll be alone with Bella in another city. The client won't be the only one dragging out the deal making process… Fuck._

* * *

**Oooh, so they're going on a trip together!**

**Thanks to you all for reading, reviewing, alerting, pimping and to TLS for featuring this fic in their Nursery **

**I'll post a teaser for the next chapter in the Facebook group MrsK81 Fic. I have the next chapter drafted but it still needs the magic touch of my awesome ladies so I'm not sure when I'll post.**

**See you all in 2014 where I'm pretty sure I'll have failed every single New Year Resolution I'm setting myself! **

**Bye**

**xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you to my wonderful girlies, Kitty & Mary for their help! There's also a gorgeous new banner made by the lovely Fallingsnow Winter… love it!**

**Chapter 14**

"So, what do you think?" he asked, almost shyly as he stopped the car at the bottom of a long, sweeping driveway.

A large, brightly lit house was nestled amongst a dense forest. It was set high up on a hill side with the most incredible view of the Puget Sound.

"This?" I looked up to the house and whispered, "Wow."

"Do you want to see inside?" He still sounded apprehensive, as if he needed my approval.

"Definitely," I said, still gazing out over the water. "That view is amazing. Is this yours?"

"No… not yet anyway. It's not officially for sale," he told me as we drove up to the house. "My realtor got me an appointment to view it before it goes on the market. The owners want a quick sale and apparently I'm a good prospective buyer."

We stopped outside a double garage and I looked up at the house, there were balconies and verandas leading from several rooms upstairs making the most of the incredible views. There were more windows than I wanted to count but whoever built it had the right idea, because it was something worth seeing. I was still staring when Edward opened my door. I got out slowly, reluctant to look away.

"I'd buy it for the views alone," I said quietly.

"I haven't seen inside yet come on." He grabbed my hand and pulled me along behind him.

"How do you suppose we do that without a realtor?" I asked. "You do realize breaking and entering is a crime?"

Edward pulled a key out of his pocket and waved it in front of me. "No breaking and entering necessary."

"You have a key?" I asked in shock and he nodded. "How?"

"My realtor has been trying to find me a house since I arrived in the city, Bella, and I'm not the easiest person to work with. She's eager for me to find something and earn her hefty commission, but she's also learned that I don't like having someone pointing out features and rooms when I view properties. I like to do things on my own—you know that. The owner relocated to the East Coast recently so we won't be disturbed." He unlocked the front door and we stepped inside the foyer.

The floor was covered in terracotta tiles which looked like they belonged in a rustic villa in Italy. The walls were simple and cream and the ceiling was decked in stained wood. There was a wide, wooden staircase with wrought iron railings led up to the first floor, which Edward walked me towards.

The floor tiles seemed to be a feature throughout the house, as did the cream walls and wooden ceilings, but it worked beautifully. Off the first stair case was a small alcove and a little seating area, which looked out onto the rear of the property and a very private garden. There was a large white kitchen overlooking the water and door which opened up onto a veranda. I pictured myself sitting out there eating breakfast with Edward and then forced the image from my head.

_**His**__ house… just __**his**__ house, Bella._

I followed Edward into the adjoining dining room with equally stunning views."This is really something, Edward," I said, totally mesmerized. "Wow."

"As soon as she emailed me the details I was eager to see it," he admitted. "But, I didn't expect this."

As we wandered around there were several other staircases leading to the upper floors, we headed up a narrow spiral one, which led to the very top of the house. There was nothing in here but two chairs, but as soon as I saw the sun dipping below the horizon I understood why.

"I could sit in here all day, every day," I said wistfully. "Who would ever want to sell this place? Even if I moved to the other side of the world I'd keep this and just use every excuse I could to come back here."

"Luckily for me, the current owner doesn't agree." Edward's arms snaked around my waist and he rested his chin on my shoulder, watching the view with me. "I like what I see so far."

"You are going to buy it, right?"

He chuckled. "We have a lot left to see, Bella."

"I don't care," I told him. "I'd live quite happily in this room."

"Come on," he said and turned me around to face him. "Let's see the rest."

"If you don't buy it, I will." I kissed him once and smirked.

"Oh really?" He laughed. "May I ask how you plan to do that on your new salary?"

"Trust me, if I brought my mother out here, she'd fall in love with it too and Phil hasn't learned how to say no to her yet." I patted his cheek. "Don't take too long, Eddie, or you'll have some stiff competition for this place."

We headed back down the spiral staircase and the next room we found was the huge master bedroom. The ceilings were gloriously high with floor to ceiling windows, and depending on which way you turned it was like you were in a different place. To the right was the sound, the sun now almost invisible, but its last few rays twinkling on the water's surface. Straight ahead, there was the green of the trees and bushes that surrounded the house, and I felt like we were in a cabin in the middle of the forest completely isolated from the rest of the world. Then, to the left was a set of doors which opened onto a small space with a very appealing hot tub and spectacular views of the mountain range.

"It's like being in three places at once," I murmured, not sure which one I preferred, then I saw how much Edward was smiling and I didn't care about the views.

The master bathroom consisted of a two person shower and a sunken bath, again overlooking the Sound. There was also a vast walk in wardrobe with enough room for all of mine, Carmen, and Amber's clothes.

_I want to live here._

As Edward examined all of the fittings and details I sat down on the bed and wished I never had to leave. I don't know how long I sat there, but Edward sitting beside me brought me back to reality.

"We've still got more to see," he told me softly.

"I'll just wait here," I said and he laughed. "I'm serious. I love this house. Did you bring me out here to show off?"

"Not at all." He rested his hand on my thigh. "I saw one or two pictures that my realtor sent me, but they were all of the exterior. I had no idea how amazing the views were and I certainly had no idea what it was like inside. Although, now I understand why she recommended viewing it before it went on the market."

"Honestly, I didn't see you in a place like this," I said to him and he smiled.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I saw you as a city boy… the hotel suits you. No fuss, no cleaning and no roots." I saw him shake his head.

"The hotel is convenient for work, but it's not home. I loved where I lived as a kid before everything went wrong, it was my favourite place in the world and I think I'm so fussy now because I want _that _again." He stood up and walked over to the window. "I like the seclusion and the serenity."

The silence was interrupted by my stomach growling loudly. Edward chuckled and turned around. "I hope that was your stomach and not a bear out in those woods."

"Very funny, asshole," I muttered. "It was my stomach, I'm starving."

"Let's go and get some dinner. We can come back and see the rest another time; I need to drop these keys off anyway." He held out his hand and we walked back through the house.

"Are you going to buy it?"

"There are a few things to consider, but I think so, yeah." He nodded. "I can't stay at the hotel forever. This is a little further from the city than I wanted, but it gives me the excuse to drive my car more often than I do."

"You and that car." I rolled my eyes. "Should I expect to see you on one of those bizarre television shows where people fall in love with inanimate objects and screw their cars up the tail pipe?"

"Where people do _what_ up the tail pipe?" he asked in disgust and I laughed.

"I guess you don't watch much television?"

"No, and after that last remark I'm not sure I want to." He pulled a face. "What kind of inanimate objects are we talking about?"

"Um… there was one woman who fell in love with a wall… she kissed it and slept with a piece of it. For real she got turned on by it—so bizarre." I started to tell him about another, but he cut me off quickly.

"Actually, forget I asked. That visual is not something I need in my mind." We walked around the back of his car and I saw his eyes drop to the tail pipe and then he shuddered. "Jesus, there are some deranged people on this planet. Why would anyone do that?"

"I guess some guys just don't have a real girl to stick it in," I suggested and he laughed. "You'd better hope I stick around, Mr. Cullen or you might find yourself drawn to the rear end of your car. I guess if you turned the engine on, it would give a _whole_ new meaning to the term blow job."

"You're so weird sometimes," he said, still laughing.

"I aim to please," I said and then kissed him. "Now can we go and eat, or my stomach rumbling is likely to turn into a full on bear growl!"

TBMOA

After he dropped off the keys at the realtors, I suggested going back to his hotel instead of going out to dinner. I liked being alone with him, he was so much less guarded and the pizza we had the other night was actually good.

"You don't have to read manuscripts tonight, do you?" I asked and kicked off my shoes.

"I spent most of last night reading manuscripts so I didn't have to read any tonight," he told me and held out his hand for my coat.

"No urgent phone calls from Phil or Emmett?" I asked and he shook his head.

"Nothing's going to happen until we fly out to San Francisco. Tonight, Bella, I'm all yours."

_How about for much, much longer than that?_

"I like the sound of that," I said and my eyes landed on his oversized, appealing bath tub. "How about a soak in the tub while we wait for room service?"

He pulled a face. "You are joking?"

"Why not?" I laughed to myself and started running the water.

"The fact that we'd be sitting in our own filth doesn't bother you?" he scoffed and I raised my eyebrows accusingly.

"Filth? You think _I'm_ filthy?" I walked into the bathroom and started running the water despite his protest. "You're heading into dangerous waters there, Edward."

"I don't think _you're_ filthy," he groaned. "I just meant all the skin and… never mind. How about we take a shower instead?"

"No, I think I need to intervene, Mr. Cullen," I said as sexily as I could.

"Intervene?"

"Mm hm. Definitely an intervention required." I nodded and loosened his tie, pulling it slowly from around his neck. "You turned your nose up at Pizza the last time I was here and look how good that was?"

"True," he murmured and watched me intensely as I unbuttoned his shirt. "The pizza was good… when you were here."

"So might it be safe to assume that a bath could also be quite enjoyable?" I pushed the opened shirt off his shoulders onto the floor.

"The pizza wasn't as enjoyable last night when I was alone." He smirked and leaned forward to kiss me once. "So I think it would be beneficial to apply that same criteria to the bath."

"I can work with that." I smiled and turned off the water.

I wiggled out of my jeans and threw them across the bathroom, keeping my eyes on him watching me hungrily. I peeled off my shit and threw that equally dramatically and Edward laughed.

"I have a few rules, Mr. Cullen," I said standing in front of him in just my underwear.

"Rules?" he asked as he kicked off his shoes. "Not sure I like the idea of rules in _my_ bathroom."

"My intervention, my rules I'm afraid. To fully appreciate the bath, you need to focus only on the bath and not your bathing companion." I winked and pointed to his pants and then to the floor. "And you need to lose those. Clothing is not permitted at any time in the bath."

"I think the focusing on anything but my bathing companion is unlikely," he mumbled and pushed his pants down to the floor. "Focusing on anything but you is hard enough when you're dressed, Bella. I don't stand a chance when you're naked and within touching distance."

"Naked _and_ wet," I teased. "But, it's important you follow the bathing etiquette."

Edward didn't seem to want to play along anymore; he took a stride in my direction and grabbed my waist. Without a word he kissed me, hungrily attacking my mouth and almost making me forget all about intervention and bathing etiquette.

_Almost._

"Tut, tut, tut," I breathed, mustering up all my strength to push him away. "I'm disappointed, Mr. Cullen."

"Go with it and trust me you won't be disappointed, Miss Swan." He tried to kiss me again but I put two fingers over his mouth and shook my head.

"Take off your boxer shorts," I told him, keeping my eyes north of his waist to avoid any possible distraction, because _fuck_ he was very distracting. "Now get in the bath."

With a frustrated huff he stepped into the bath and slowly sat down, submerging under the water. "Am I supposed to feel something?"

"Relaxed? Comfortable?" I said and he shook his head.

"Nope. Frustrated, lonely, and definitely not _relaxed._" He indicated to his dick and I giggled. "This isn't doing much to convert me to baths I'm afraid."

"Oh, I'm not done yet." I winked and ran out of the bathroom to the bar. I grabbed two glasses, a corkscrew and a bottle of red wine before hurrying back to Edward.

"It's going to take more than a glass of wine to change my mind, Bella," he chuckled.

"How about," I handed him a glass and opened the bottle. "A _whole_ bottle of wine and…"

"And?" He raised his eyebrow and I smirked.

"Company?" I took a drink of wine and then removed my bra and panties, slipping into the bath with him.

"Things are definitely improving." He grinned, pulling me up between his legs and rested his head on my shoulder. "But I think there is a pattern developing. Just like the cold hotel Pizza, it's going to be something I only enjoy with you."

He started to kiss my neck and I pulled away. "No branding tonight," I said and he laughed. "I'm serious, Edward, I'm in enough trouble as it is. Phil will no doubt tell my mother about my mystery boyfriend and she will not let it go."

"What will you say?" he asked, sounding amused and kissing my neck again—softly this time.

"I'll just tell her that the mystery neck sucker was some incredibly sexy and intense guy I met in a club." I refilled our glasses and took a drink.

"Sexy _and_ intense? You got lucky, huh?"

"Yeah… _intensely _irritating, opinionated, bossy, sulky, and impossible to please," I teased, and Edward started tickling my ribs.

I squirmed around in his lap making a weird combination of laughter and squealing as I tried to move out of his hold.

"Opinionated?" he asked, laughing at my reaction. "Irritating?"

"Yes," I cried stubbornly.

"Bossy? Impossible to please?" He was laughing more than I'd heard. "Is that what you said?"

"Yes," I continued to cry and squirm. "And impossible to please… don't forget that."

My legs were thrashing about and we managed to knock the bottle of wine into the tub, turning the water red.

"Oops," Edward said and stopped tickling me.

"What a waste," I said and pushed away to the other side of the bath. "That was perfectly good wine and now it's all gone thanks to you."

He smirked. "Sorry."

"Don't be." I smiled. "I'd take that every day to hear you laugh like that. You'd surprise so many people if they ever saw this side of you."

He shook his head. "I don't think anyone has ever seen this side to me, Bella. I didn't even know this side of me existed until recently."

_Oh God, I love you._

I didn't tell him that of course, I just revelled in the feeling for a few seconds and then changed the subject.

"As much fun as it was, I'm still disappointed in your blatant disregard for bath etiquette… there should be no spilling of alcohol in the bath tub." I shook my head and added, "I was actually quite enjoying that wine."

"I think I'm going to enjoy it more now," he said roughly.

"The wine or the bath?" I asked.

"Both." I started to remind him of the rules, but he clamped his hand over my mouth. "Fuck bath etiquette."

This time I just nodded and decided going along with it was going to be much more fun than messing with him. He pulled me into his lap and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

"You couldn't do this in a shower," I reminded him as he leaned into kiss me and he laughed.

As he kissed me, something felt different. It was still as intense and passionate as before, but there was something I couldn't quite place… something _more_ between us. I felt it and I wondered if Edward could too. Fuck, I hoped he could feel it too.

As we kissed, his hands roamed over my body, sliding across my wet, soapy and winey skin. "Baths are pretty fucking good," he moaned against my mouth.

Edward's lips left mine and wandered down my neck, paying extra care to be gentle and not leave another offending mark. He then trailed his tongue along my collar bone to my shoulder and it left a burning trail across my skin.

He placed one hand on my chest and slowly encouraged me to lean backwards, arching my back. As soon as I did, he lowered his head more, covering as much of my body with his tongue as he could.

"Oh God, that feels so fucking good," I breathed when he flicked his tongue on my nipple. "Edward, come here."

I tugged on his hair, pulling him back up so I could kiss him. I shifted in his lap gasping when the tip of his cock, brushed against me. "Bella," he hissed as I moved just enough for him to slide inside me. "Jesus."

Edward braced his legs on the side of the tub so he didn't slide around, then his head hell back as I started to roll my hips around. It wasn't easy and it certainly wasn't the most comfortable position, but watching him… feeling him more than made up for the discomfort.

His fingers dug into my hips and his eyes squeezed shut. "Fuck," he groaned and then reached between us with one hand to rub my clit.

I felt my stomach clench almost immediately and the rest of my body stiffened in anticipation. I held onto the side of the bath, my arms shaking and Edward opened his eyes to watch me.

This time it was my movements that faltered, I couldn't move as my orgasm tore through me, Edward thrust his hips upwards two or three more times and then he came. As he did, his entire body relaxed and he was no longer bracing himself, so we slid down the bath, sloshing even more water around and over the edges.

I turned around and lay back against his chest, sighing in contentment. "See, baths aren't so bad. _Even _when you don't follow bath etiquette."

"I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I'd like to point out something, Bella," he murmured and I craned my neck to look at him. "We are currently laying in rapidly cooling water, mixed with wine and spunk."

I pulled a face and nodded. "You make a very good point there. Shower?"

"That depends, are there going to be more rules and etiquette to follow?"

"No rules." I kissed him. "I promise."

_**Edward…**_

_She did it again... every damned minute I spend with her I feel like I'm a different person. Is it normal to crave someone so fucking badly? At the house all I could see was Bella. Every image in my mind wasn't me… it was us… Fuck! _

**A/N**

**Thank you so much as always for reading and your incredible reviews. I should be back next Sunday **

**There will be a teaser posted in the FB group MrsK81 fic and I'll also post photos of the house Edward took Bella to see posted in there if you want to have a little looksy ;)**

**I do also hope to post a new chapter of Somehow I Found You soon… I'm just about finished with the next update. Please bear with me a little longer.**

**TTFN**

**Katy**

**xoxo**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks as always to my wonderful girlies Kitty & Mary, but all mistakes are mine! **

**Chapter 15**

On Thursday morning Edward tried and failed to win his morning sex challenge. To be honest, I was growing more and more agreeable to the idea, but I didn't want him to know that just yet. I figured it was something I could surprise him with the first morning he didn't go all out to win.

He left for work about ten minutes before me for appearances sake and when I arrived he already had company in his office. Irina Denali was sitting opposite Edward laughing and chatting animatedly. Although Irina was the only one of the three who founded D.D.H who wasn't looking to retire in the near future, she rarely stopped by our floor and I assumed she was here about Edward taking her daughter to the party.

When the company started to pull in the big name authors, she'd made the promotion and publicity her baby and still managed to throw the best launch parties and the best promotional tours. Irina and her husband had two daughters, Kate and Tanya and I knew them both.

I'd like to say they were both spoiled stuck-up brats with no personality and not a brain cell between them, but that was not the case, although they were at opposite ends of the spectrum as far as their lives were concerned.

Tanya had semi-followed in her mother's footprints and set up her own event planning business. It had become successful in its own right and she'd managed to side-step the stigma and expectation that came with having a successful parent. Everything she'd achieved, she'd done by herself and Irina was understandably proud. Tanya called everything as she saw it—something which tended to be very amusing once she'd had a little too much champagne.

Kate was the younger of the two and unlike Tanya she was more accustomed to the life I used to enjoy and she was in no rush to change. Even with that, Kate was super sweet, friendly, and really fucking pretty; it would have been so easy to hate her, but I couldn't. Of course if she did end up going as Edward's date I think hating her would be considerably easier.

I didn't need to hear the conversation to know what was being said. Irina was the best at sweet-talking people into doing things her way—my mother and Phil had been on the receiving end of her persuasive nature on several occasions and it was actually amusing to see. This time, however, I wasn't finding it so funny.

As soon as I reached my desk, I caught Edward's eye and almost immediately he waved me into the office. With clenched teeth and a forced smile I opened the door, making sure I was as polite as possible.

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen. You too, Mrs. Denali."

Irina turned around to greet me and as soon as she did, Edward gave me his now customary crooked grin.

"Bella, how are you?" Irina gushed and stood up to give me a hug. "You look fabulous, working here must be agreeing with you."

"It's not so bad," I said with a shrug and she laughed. "Are you looking forward to Saturday night?"

"Oh yes, it should be a wonderful evening. I intended to organise it myself, but trying to come up with something that would be suitable for Peter and Mrs. Goff and still enjoyable for the rest of our staff proved difficult so Tanya offered to help. I hear you have a new boyfriend?"

I groaned and Edward smirked. "Phil?"

She nodded. "Will he be coming to the party?"

"No." I shook my head. "Can I get you a drink?"

"The usual, Miss Swan," Edward said softly. "Irina?"

"No thank you, Bella. I need to be getting back—I was just trying to persuade Edward to accompany Kate on Saturday, but it seems he has someone else in the pipeline." She chuckled. "Well, whoever the lucky lady is, she'll be the envy of the majority of the female workers here… and dare I say some of the male ones too."

"I doubt that," Edward muttered. "

"Pfft," I snorted, surely he was being polite, because no one was that blind to their sexiness. They might think he was an asshole, but no one could deny he looked good.

They both looked at me and I flushed, that wasn't supposed to be an audible snort. "I meant that you're… um… I just hear people talking… um… you know about… I better get back to work."

As I closed the door behind me I heard Irina say in a highly amused tone, "See what I mean?"

I was almost too embarrassed to show my face in the office to take Edward his coffee, I couldn't make eye contact with him or Irina and I left before I could show myself up anymore. When Irina opened the door about five minutes later she hadn't been successful in persuading Edward, but she once again mentioned that she was eager to meet his "date."

After he walked her over to the elevator he stopped at my desk. "Irina thinks you have a crush on me. She told me to be _very_ careful not to give you the wrong impression about our relationship." He laughed.

"If only she knew, huh?" I smiled but it was forced and Edward saw it.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"Nothing," I lied, but Edward just looked at me expectantly. "Okay is the idea of you and me being together so inconceivable to everybody?" I sighed dejectedly.

"I think it's not you and me as individuals, Bella; it's our entire situation. You're my assistant and Phil's step-daughter. The fact I'm widely regarded as a total asshole probably doesn't do me any favors either. They probably think you have better taste than to waste your energy on someone like me."

"What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment." I wanted to ask him about the date Irina had mentioned, but at the same time I didn't want him to think I was being all jealous and possessive. _Fuck it._ "Who are you taking on Saturday?"

"As my first choice was not an option I had to rethink my strategy." He winked and I scowled.

"You aren't going to tell me are you?" I asked and he shook his head. "Cockhead."

"The important thing to remember, Bella isn't who I'm going with but who I'll be leaving with… discreetly of course." He got all intense and hungry and it took all my strength not to jump him. "You're doing it again."

"I'm not doing anything?" I protested, but my eyes dropped to his groin out of habit.

"You can't look at me like that," he groaned. "You're being all seducey again."

"Hey, you fucking started it," I told him haughtily. "Don't you have some work to do? I know I do, so shoo."

He laughed but backed away to his office. "Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?"

"No can do, Senor," I told him and almost laughed at his disgruntled expression. "My dad is coming into the city to see me so we're having dinner. He's eager to hear all about the first six and a half weeks of working life. How about tonight instead? You could come over to my place and I'll cook us something."

"Will your friends be there to corner me almost naked in your kitchen again?" He pulled a face and I laughed. "That was scary."

"I'm sure I can ask them to refrain from almost-naked cornering, but they're my friends, so we're kind of a package deal." Then I added in a terrible Italian accent, "You no like mah friends, then I no like you. Capisce?"

Edward's shoulders shook with laughter and he nodded his head. "Capisce."

"Good," I said and then waved him away. He was still laughing to himself when he closed the door.

TBMOA

"Are you eating with us?" I asked Amber and she looked at me doubtfully. "What?"

"Will you behave?" she scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I muttered.

"If you're going to be feeling each other up under the table, I think I'll pass." When I started to object she interrupted, "I'm serious."

I smiled sweetly. "I promise we'll behave… at first anyway."

Carmen handed me a glass of wine. "We can just agree on a specific word or sign that means, now get lost, I want to get laid."

"I like that." I clinked her glass. "Can you just watch the lasagne while I have a quick shower?"

"I thought you were cooking dinner?" Amber said in mock disgust. "I don't remember us offering assistance being part of the deal."

I threw her the finger and hurried off to my bedroom. I had nineteen minutes before Edward was due to arrive and he was always on time. I intended for it to be a quick shower, but my mind wandered and the sound of my phone ringing interrupted my daydreaming. I wrapped a towel around me and answered.

"It's me… I'm outside ringing your apartment but no one's answering," Edward's voice echoed down the line.

"Sorry, I was just in the shower. I'll come and let you in." I hung up and heard the music blasting out in the lounge and said to myself, "No wonder they didn't hear him ringing."

I ran to the door and grinned at Edward. "Hey."

His eyes looked at my lack of clothing. "Interesting." He stepped forward and kissed me, immediately reaching for the towel.

"Carmen and Amber are here." I knocked his hand away and stepped back. "There are some things I'd rather them not see."

"Dressing like that and then denying me the chance to play is almost like showing a kid a present but not letting him unwrap it." He tried again and then groaned as I shook my head. "Do you smell that? Is something burning?"

"Okay, okay, I get it," I huffed. "You're horny, I'm a tease and now your loins are on fire or something equally cheesy."

"Bella, seriously," he said again, sniffing the air. "I can smell burning."

I sniffed and sure enough it was burning. "Oh fuck!" I yelled. "The lasagne."

For a fraction of a second I hoped it wasn't _that_ bad, maybe just a little overcooked on the top layer, but then I opened the oven and a huge cloud of smoke billowed into the kitchen around me. I waved frantically to dissipate the smoke and then looked down at the charred food with a sigh.

"There goes dinner," I spluttered. "Unless you want to eat cremated lasagne?"

"Hey, I'll give it a whirl," Edward offered and I laughed.

"You're too sweet." I patted his cheek and then rested my head on his chest.

"I guess you fucked up dinner." Amber and Carmen had followed the smoke trails into the kitchen and I glared at them.

"Actually, _you_ fucked up dinner. I asked you to check on it while I took a shower."

"Shit, sorry!" Amber put her hand over her mouth. "I totally forgot. I'm really sorry, Bella, how about I try and get some more of those brownies to make it up to you?"

"Nah, we'll just order a pizza or something," I said glumly. "I'll just go and get dressed."

The lasagne was a total failure, but dinner itself wasn't such a loss. We ordered pizza and as soon as Edward relaxed he and the girls got along really well, surprisingly well to be honest. He still had his usual guard up, revealing nothing too personal, but he talked happily about work and life in Chicago. There was no feeling up beneath the table and no need for any code to let the girls know I wanted to get him naked. The hours flew by quickly and I was shocked when Edward stood up, drawing attention to the late hour.

"I should get going," he said, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

"You're not spending the night?" I asked hopefully.

"Do you want me to?"

"Do bears shit in the woods?" Amber scoffed and Edward laughed.

"Come on," I said, pulling him behind me into the hall. "We can talk out here."

"As long as that's all you do," Carmen yelled and then they both started giggling.

"Sorry, I think they're really teenage boys in female bodies." I stood on my toes and kissed him. "Are you really leaving?"

"I didn't want to assume…" he started to say and I rubbed my hand over his pants. _Yeah, he's staying._ "No, I'm not leaving."

We started moving towards my bedroom but the second kiss was occupying both our minds and we only made it as far as the door before our hands started wandering. Edward reached behind me for the door handle when I heard more yelling.

"Wrong room guys." Amber was standing a few feet away with her arms folded. "I love you, Bella, and Eddie, you seem pretty cool, too. However, you two are not screwing on my bed."

Edward's cheeks tinged pink and I laughed. "Oops."

TBMOA

Dad was treating me to dinner but his taste in food was limited to homemade fish fry and burgers so I insisted on choosing the restaurant. I hadn't seen him since I started working, intentionally avoiding him because I didn't want him to see how bad it had been at first. Now things were looking better, I thought it was time to let him know I was over my initial sulking phase.

I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes late and Dad was already sitting at the table. As soon as he saw me approaching, he stood and gave me a hug.

"Bella," he said softly. "How are you?"

"Good." I smiled widely as we took our seats. "Really good as a matter of fact."

"And work?" he asked tentatively. "Are you still angry with me for all of this?"

"No." I shook my head, still smiling. "I won't lie—it's been really tough and that's why I avoided seeing you. At first I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but now… I'm actually really enjoying the challenge."

"You are?" He looked doubtful and I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm happy you like it but I have to admit I was worried."

"Worried? That I would fuck it up?" I accused.

"I'll let the cussing slide on this occasion," he told me. "But for the record, I wasn't worried that you would _fuck_ it up. I know you're a smart girl, Bella, but I expected you to be royally pissed at me for getting you into all of this. That's what I was worried about. I didn't want you to hate me for it."

"I'd never hate you, Dad. I _was_ seriously pissed at you all for throwing me in at the deep end but now I get it and even if you said to me right now that I was done, that I could go back to the way things were—I'm not sure I would." I almost burst out laughing at Dad's stunned expression. "Don't look so surprised, Dad, jeez. Is it really so unbelievable?"

"Just surprising." He chuckled.

"Can we order now? I'm starving." I looked through the menu, feeling Dad staring at me. Without meeting his eye I said, "What?"

"Nothing, Bells. I'm just pleased you're finding your way—that's all I wanted."

Fortunately, Dad hadn't spoken to my mother recently, so there were no rapid-fire questions about the mystery boyfriend. He did try to talk guys in general, much to my horror.

"I'm your father, Bella," he said and I groaned. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to know about your life?"

"Do you really want to know about that part of my life?" I asked and he shrugged. "Seriously, Dad, I'm twenty-three and my interest in guys has developed a little more than holding hands and innocent pecks on the cheek."

"Hey I didn't ask for specifics, I'm just trying to make an effort here, Bells, humor me." He rubbed his face and added, "I just want to know what's going on in your life."

_I'm crazy in love with my boss who I also happen to be fucking at every opportunity, on his desk in the office._

"I've been single for a while, so there's nothing much besides work, Dad," I said to him casually. "I met a really sweet girl called Emily."

"A girl?" He gulped. "Oh, so you're… I didn't think… it's quite a surprise. Are you really a…?"

"A lesbian? Yeah, how crazy is that, huh?" I smirked. "I thought it might be weird, you know, _sexually, _because they don't have… but you can buy strap on dildos to replace—"

"Jesus, Bella." He almost choked on his water.

"Relax, Dad, I'm just messing with you. I still like boys, no girlfriend in sight, okay?" I laughed and he started to return a less intense shade of red. "Emily is just a friend, she's a really good friend actually."

"That's good." He nodded with a sigh of relief. "Not that I don't like Amber and Carmen, but it's nice to have different friends."

"Actually Emily's going travelling in Europe in a few months so it's going to be a bit of a long-distance friendship." I smiled. "I'm actually really envious… she's doing it all on her own. She's going to a city, hopefully finding work for a few weeks and then using that money to sightsee. Then she's moving on and doing it all again. I wish I was going with her."

"I think I preferred thinking you were a lesbian than the idea of you travelling in Europe, Bella," Dad grumbled.

"It's not like I can go anyway, Dad, so relax." I laughed. "Speaking of travelling, I'm going to San Francisco next week with work."

"Why?"

"My boss has to go and I need to be there too. I know it's going to be work, but I'm still looking forward to it." I didn't elaborate as to why the trip held as much interest for me, there are some things Dad didn't need to know.

"What's he like, this boss of yours?" he asked. "I heard he was a tough cookie."

"Yeah he is," I said, remembering the first few weeks.

"I was talking to your mother about him; she'd heard he was difficult to work with." Dad said to me. "He's the new guy, right?"

"Yep, his name is Mr. Cullen," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "He knows what he wants and makes sure he gets it. I think Phil's grooming him to take over."

"Older guy is he?" Dad asked coolly.

"Older?" I smirked. "Yeah, he's older."

Dad watched me carefully. "Married?"

"Only to his job, Dad." I laughed.

He nodded, still suspicious. "How much older?"

I shrugged. "I didn't exactly quiz him about his date of birth, Dad."

_June twentieth, nineteen eighty-four. _

"Fifty? Forty?" Clearly he wasn't letting this go.

"Jesus, Dad. I don't know… thirty maybe." I could barely look at him and I hoped to God my cheeks weren't giving me away.

"You said he was older," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"He is older," I argued weakly. "He's older than me isn't he?"

"He's your boss, Bella." He was exasperated.

I groaned. "I know that, Dad."

"Does Phil know?" he asked and my mouth went dry.

"Does Phil know what?" I asked nervously.

"That you have a crush on your boss."

"Jesus," I groaned. "First Irina, now you. I do not have a crush on him."

_Do I have some kind of flashing beacon over my head?_

"I'm just looking out for you, Honey." He reached over the table and squeezed my hand.

"You don't need to worry, Dad. Edward is my boss and that's all."

"Edward? What happened to Mr. Cullen?" he asked quickly.

"Dad," I hissed. "Let it go. I respect what he's achieved and his success is actually inspiring."

"Work is work, Bella, don't mix business with pleasure. Don't forget that." He let go of my hand and waved the waiter over. "We're ready to order now."

I hated lying, but he just wouldn't get it. I was part of the whole thing and I wasn't sure I got it. Sometimes I felt like there was something _real_ between us, something that had a future, but then his words in my bedroom would come back to me over and over again. There were things he'd set his heart on achieving and nothing was going to stop him. Especially not me.

_Edward…_

_I can just call her… no you can't. She has plans with her father. Maybe, I could see her after? Then again if she wanted to see me after dinner, she would have asked. Was she still sulking about the date I was taking to the party? Maybe if I hadn't been an asshole and just told her who I was going with she'd realize she didn't need to worry and she'd be here right now. Playing games with her always backfires, I should remember that. There's a lot of stuff to remember when you're in a relationship… shit, are we in a relationship? Fuck…_

* * *

**Edward was a little wordy tonight, huh?**

**Hope you liked it and would love to know who you think his date is? Thanks for reading, reviewing, alerting and pimping it is seriously blowing my mind **

**More to come next week and Stop! It's party time. Until then, I will post a teaser in MrsK81 Fic on facebook.**

**TTFN**

**Katy**

**x**


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